Trump has confirmed that American forces struck an Iranian military facility on Qeshm.
United States President Donald Trump confirmed that American forces struck an Iranian military facility on Qeshm Island, even as Tehran warned it was prepared to retaliate and insisted that diplomacy remained possible.
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The mood in Tehran was reflected in a huge billboard installed in the heart of the capital, AFP journalists reported on Tuesday.
Pezeshkian, however, said his government was still seeking to resolve the crisis “through dialogue”. He warned that “no one will benefit from this war” if fighting resumed. He also pointed out that Iran’s supreme leader had recently given the government additional powers to negotiate issues that had previously been considered “off-limits”. “Iran wants a settlement, as soon as possible,” he wrote on Truth Social. Qatar, which has been mediating indirect negotiations between Washington and Tehran, said it remained hopeful that the two sides could reach an interim agreement. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Al Ansari said both countries were still engaged in negotiations and that Doha was facilitating the exchange of proposals. “Both parties remain committed to the negotiation process; as we mentioned, we are facilitating the real-time exchange of proposals between them,” he told reporters. Both sides “are currently reviewing the ideas and proposals we have presented,” he added. “We remain hopeful that there is still a chance for a deal to take place,” he said, adding that Doha was working “towards an interim deal”. “Given the sensitivity and gravity of the current situation, consultations and deliberations are very intensive,” Araghchi told state media. US Vice President JD Vance said both he and Trump remained optimistic about reaching an agreement. A senior Iranian official said Tehran was prepared to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within two days, provided Washington accepted its long-standing demands. “The possibility of implementing this plan in two days is another indication of Iran’s good-faith approach,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said at a briefing. On Sunday, he said the US might have to give Tehran “the hammer” at an unspecified point. A day earlier, he said he still needed to “take care” of one or two targets, including the so-called Pickaxe Mountain in central Iran.
The latest exchange came just hours after Trump suggested that an agreement with Tehran remained possible. “We’ve certainly made some progress. The strait is a crucial route for global oil and gas shipments. Iran had proposed a seven-day plan in September to reopen it, with conditions that included ending the war on all fronts, unfreezing Iranian assets, lifting oil sanctions and ending the US counter-blockade of Iranian ports. Despite the ongoing diplomatic efforts, Trump has continued to threaten further military action against Iran. The site is suspected of being linked to Iran’s nuclear programme, although Tehran denies that it is a nuclear facility. Iranian officials have repeatedly warned that any resumption of the war would trigger retaliation across the region.
Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi also confirmed on Monday that indirect negotiations were continuing. We’ll see if we can make some more,” Vance told reporters on Monday.
Trump confirmed the strikes in an interview with Fox News, following several reports that American forces had attacked Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported five explosions in quick succession on the island. Some residents also reported seeing two aircraft flying over the area.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian warned that a fresh outbreak of fighting would benefit neither side, while senior officials said the country was ready to defend itself if Washington escalated its military action. As soon as it was completed, we hit it last night very nicely,” Trump said on Fox & Friends, describing the operation as a “minor attack”. Asked whether Israel had participated in the latest strikes, an Israeli military spokesperson told AFP, “No”. Iran’s chief negotiator with the US, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said the Islamic republic was prepared for another round of fighting. “The countries of the region should know that, just as the Islamic Republic of Iran stands ready for battle with its finger on the trigger, it has also given the American side a powerful and rational response,” he said in a televised address. Iran’s deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi said Iran retained the right to “legitimate self-defence” following the US strikes.
“They built an anti-aircraft facility… The United States and Israel began their war against Iran with a massive wave of attacks in late February. The conflict has remained largely deadlocked for months. Iranian leaders responded to the latest strikes with warnings of retaliation, while maintaining that Tehran was willing to negotiate. “The ball is now in America’s court to prevent war.
The vote has been dominated by public discontent over the war with Iran and the inflation linked to the conflict. The announcement came on Tuesday, as American voters headed to the polls for midterm elections that could weaken Trump’s hold on power.