Iran rules out military solution as talks with US over Strait of Hormuz stall
Iran's foreign minister said Sunday there is no military solution to the war with the United States, as negotiations over the Strait of Hormuz remain deadlocked and another tanker was struck near Iran's coast.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told a gathering of foreign ambassadors on Sunday that there is no military solution to the conflict with the United States, warning that any renewed military confrontation would meet an even stronger Iranian response than before. He also dismissed the idea that further sanctions could resolve the standoff, saying only negotiations grounded in fairness could end the war.
The conflict began in late February when the US and Israel launched a bombing campaign against Iran. In recent weeks, Washington has scaled back military action in favor of economic pressure. The central dispute remains Iran's effort to control the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for Gulf oil and gas shipments. On Sunday, Britain's maritime security agency UKMTO reported that another tanker transiting the strait had been struck by an unidentified projectile, damaging its engine room, though the crew was unharmed and no environmental damage was recorded.
Since the war began, Iran has sought to control shipping through the strait, targeting vessels that pass without its authorization, while the US has imposed its own blockade on Iranian ports and struck ships it accuses of violating it. Separately, Iran's presidency announced Sunday that oil minister Mohsen Paknejad had resigned over personal reasons, a request President Masoud Pezeshkian had previously turned down before ultimately accepting it. He has been succeeded by Hamid Bovard, formerly head of the National Iranian Oil Company.
Last week, Iranian and US officials held indirect talks on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, where Tehran presented seven conditions for reopening the strait, including a Middle East-wide ceasefire, the unfreezing of Iranian assets abroad, lifting sanctions on its oil sector, and ending the US naval blockade. President Trump rejected the proposal but left open the possibility of further talks or renewed military action. Iranian officials said Washington's response is still under review, while Tehran is simultaneously preparing for other possible scenarios.
