Tehran says Americans ‘said no to war’ as tankers burn near Hormuz
Iran’s chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said the midterm results showed that “Americans said no to war”, warning that if Washington betrayed that will, “our ‘no’ comes with a nightmare”. The Revolutionary Guard claimed four tankers had been destroyed by naval mines on a prohibited route south of the Strait of Hormuz, two of them still burning. The claim has not been independently verified.
Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, called Washington’s reply to Tehran’s seven conditions “not convincing”, saying the strait would reopen only once they were met. Qatar says both sides “remain committed to the negotiation process”. Mr Trump called Tuesday’s strike on an anti-aircraft site on Qeshm Island a “minor attack” that “wasn’t war”, adding that American forces were “locked and loaded if we need to go, but there may be no need for it”. US media have reported that Central Command has plans for strikes that could begin as early as Wednesday, with three aircraft carriers in the region.