Iran’s military says the United States is preparing to resume strikes, raising the prospect of renewed fighting as President Donald Trump considers further action and Qatar works to revive negotiations.
The warning was issued by the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, which oversees Iran’s armed forces. Tehran said any fresh US assault would be met with retaliation against American bases and interests across the Middle East.
Iran also warned regional countries against allowing their territory or facilities to be used in support of US operations, saying those that did so would be “considered complicit” and could face an Iranian response.
Mr Trump told Fox News that he was in a “deciding mode” over Iran. He said his options included further military action, economic pressure or reaching a deal, and added that he would be open to meeting Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian during the United Nations General Assembly in New York this week.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi left Tehran for the assembly on Sunday evening, with state media saying he would make a brief stop in Qatar.
Qatar pushes for renewed talks
Qatar, which is mediating between the two sides, said its officials were travelling between capitals and exchanging proposals intended to restart negotiations.
Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said Doha had received assurances from US officials that Washington wanted an agreement.
Iran has told Qatari and Pakistani mediators that renewed talks would require an end to the war and US attacks, the release of frozen Iranian funds and the lifting of a US naval blockade on Iranian ports.
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s parliament speaker, told lawmakers that Tehran should use military force to push back its opponents before turning to diplomacy to secure any gains. He also said the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed until Washington met what Iran describes as its commitments under an earlier agreement.
The confrontation has already affected shipping through the strait, a key route linking the Gulf with the Arabian Sea. Shipping data showed that 12 commodity vessels crossed over the weekend, compared with 35 the previous weekend.
The war began in late February after joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran. A 60-day memorandum reached in June reduced full-scale fighting but expired last month, while attacks around Hormuz have increased since then.
Mark Pfeifle, a Republican strategist and former White House national security official, said the two countries were “locked in this frozen conflict” and seeking to increase pressure ahead of possible diplomacy during the UN gathering.
