Iran and the United States are far from reaching an agreement to end the war.
At least that’s what a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Tuesday, despite increased diplomatic efforts to prevent a possible return to active conflict after the US midterm elections.
Overnight, the US carried out “defensive” strikes on the Iranian island of Qeshm; a US official said the strikes targeted surface-to-air missiles being used against US assets.
Meanwhile, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) announced that it had shot down an American MQ-9 drone in the airspace over the eastern part of the Strait of Hormuz overnight.
“Mediators are working intensively to narrow the gap between Tehran and Washington,” the senior Iranian official said, after mediators from Qatar arrived in Tehran on Monday evening for talks on a version of the US-Iran draft agreement, which has been in the negotiation phase for the past eight days.
“Tehran’s conditions must be met if the US wants the reopening of Hormuz,” the Iranian official warned, adding that nuclear talks can only begin then and that Tehran will not accept Washington’s “excessive demands.”
And the speaker of Iran’s parliament, Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf, declared on Tuesday that it is now up to the US to act, after Tehran has given Washington a “strong and rational response.”
The senior Iranian official told Reuters that Tehran would respond forcefully – both within the Region and outside it – to US attacks.
“The enemy seeks to force the Iranian nation to surrender through threats and military action, but they are wrong; Iran will not surrender,” Ghalibaf stressed on Tuesday, adding that Tehran’s response to any miscalculation by the US will be unpredictable and will not be limited by any geographical boundaries.
US President Donald Trump expressed doubts on Monday whether he would carry out his threat to resume military strikes against Iran after Tuesday’s midterm elections, adding that, according to him, Tehran wants to reach a deal as soon as possible.