Iran warns military escalation will not end Middle East war

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told foreign ambassadors on Oct 4 that military force would not end the war against his country, as talks with the United States appeared to have reached an impasse and tensions persisted around the Strait of Hormuz in the Middle East.¹²³⁴

Warning against renewed attacks

Araghchi said Iran would use greater force to defend itself if its adversaries resumed military confrontation. He argued that neither additional attacks nor further sanctions could resolve the conflict, saying an agreement required negotiations conducted on what he described as just and fair terms.¹⁴

The United States and Israel began the war against Iran in late February. A sustained bombardment did not bring the fighting to a decisive conclusion, after which Washington reduced military operations in recent weeks and placed greater emphasis on economic pressure.²³

According to The Straits Times, the United States and Israel have described the conflict as necessary to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. The newspaper also reported that Iran has consistently denied seeking such weapons.¹

Dispute over the Strait of Hormuz

Iran has attempted to blockade the Strait of Hormuz, a major passage for oil and gas shipments from the Gulf. The waterway has consequently become central to efforts to end the conflict, while a tanker in the strait was struck by an unidentified projectile.²³

The Straits Times, citing the British maritime security agency UKMTO, reported that the projectile damaged the tanker's engine room but that its crew was safe. The same newspaper said Iran had sought control of the waterway since the war began and that the United States had imposed a counterblockade on Iranian ports.¹

Iranian and US officials held indirect discussions on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, according to The Straits Times. According to the newspaper, Iran proposed seven terms for reopening the strait, among them a regional ceasefire, the unfreezing of Iranian assets overseas, lifting oil-sector sanctions and ending the US naval blockade.¹

The Straits Times reported that Donald Trump rejected the Iranian proposal while leaving open the possibilities of further talks or renewed military action. Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said the latest US counterproposal addressed the same nuclear questions as earlier proposals.¹

US military posture

The Straits Times reported that Washington was conducting a new military buildup in the region. Citing Axios, it said additional Patriot air-defence batteries had been sent to Saudi Arabia and Qatar and that the USS Theodore Roosevelt and its strike group were travelling to the Middle East, where two other US carrier strike groups were already reported to be present.¹

These reported deployments came after Washington had scaled back operations and shifted towards economic pressure. Iranian attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz subsequently prompted a return to US military operations, according to The Straits Times.¹²³