Pezeshkian says return to war benefits ‘no one’

TEHRAN: Iran's president Masoud Pezeshkian said on Tuesday that a return to war would benefit 'no one', hours after reported US strikes on an Iranian island in the Strait of Hormuz. It came as US voters prepared to cast their ballots in midterm elections that threaten President Donald Trump's grip on power. Iran's chief negotiator in talks with the US, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said the Islamic republic was 'ready for battle with its finger on the trigger', while deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi said Iran retained the right to 'legitimate self-defence' after the strikes.
But Pezeshkian said his government was still trying to resolve the crisis 'through dialogue', adding that 'no one will benefit from this war' if it reignited, and emphasising that the country's supreme leader had recently granted the government new powers to negotiate issues previously 'off-limits'.
The US strikes, reported by The Wall Street Journal, CNN, The New York Times and other outlets, hit Qeshm island in the Hormuz waterway, a key flashpoint of the Middle East war that has upended global markets. Unnamed US officials cited by the outlets described the attacks as defensive in nature. The Journal said it was just the latest of several undeclared strikes. US Central Command did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment. The US and Israel launched their war with Iran with a massive wave of strikes in late February. The conflict has been stalemated for months. Asked if Israel was involved in the latest reported strikes, an Israeli military spokesperson said, 'No'.
The reported Qeshm attack came just hours after Trump signalled a deal with Iran 'could happen', as US voters prepared to cast their ballots in midterms dominated by public dissatisfaction with the war and the inflation it has brought. 'Iran wants a settlement, as soon as possible,' Trump posted on his Truth Social platform. Iranian state news agency IRNA reported five explosions in rapid succession on Qeshm island, and that some residents reported seeing two aircraft flying in its skies.
Ghalibaf said the ball was in Washington's court. '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 speech. 'The ball is now in America's court to prevent war.'
Qatar, a mediator in protracted indirect negotiations between the US and Iran, said it remained hopeful of an interim deal in the war. 'Both parties remain committed to the negotiation process; as we mentioned, we are facilitating the real-time exchange of proposals between them,' foreign ministry spokesman Majed al Ansari 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 Doha was working 'towards an interim deal'. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Monday confirmed indirect negotiations were taking place. 'Given the sensitivity and gravity of the current situation, consultations and deliberations are very intensive,' Araghchi said. — AFP