Iran FM Tells US There Is No Military Solution To Their Conflict

(MENAFN- Jordan Times) TEHRAN - Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Sunday that there was no military solution to his country's conflict with the United States, with talks on ending the war apparently at an impasse.

A campaign of heavy bombardment failed to bring a decisive close to the war launched by the US and Israel in late February, and Washington in recent weeks has dialled back military operations in favour of economic pressure.

"If our enemies again choose the path of military confrontation, our response will be stronger than before, and we will defend ourselves with even more force," Araghchi said at a gathering of foreign ambassadors.

"There is no military solution, nor any solution based on new sanctions," he continued, adding "only negotiations based on justice and fairness" could end the conflict.

The two sides agreed a memorandum of understanding in June aimed at providing a framework for a permanent resolution, but the deal collapsed, largely due to disagreements over the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran has sought to impose control over the vital shipping lane since the start of the war, and has attacked vessels that attempt to transit without its authorisation.

Iranian and US officials last week held indirect talks on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, with Tehran saying it presented seven conditions for reopening the strait.

Trump, however, rejected the proposal, while leaving the door open both to further talks or renewed military operations.

The United States has not struck Iran since September 1.

An attack on a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz damaged its engine room, a British maritime agency said Sunday, without specifying when the incident occurred.

Iran has sought to impose control over the vital shipping lane since the start of its war with the United States and Israel.

It has repeatedly targeted vessels in the waterway that it accuses of transiting without its authorisation, while the United States has struck ships allegedly attempting to skirt a counterblockade of Iranian ports.

An "unknown projectile" struck the ship but the crew were unharmed, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre (UKMTO) said.

No environmental impact had been recorded from the attack, it added.

The agency did not specify the date of the incident, the vessel's origin or destination, or whether it was an oil tanker or LNG carrier.

The Strait of Hormuz, through which about one fifth of the world's oil and gas transited before the war, remains a key sticking point in negotiations between Iran and the US.

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