Iran has signalled that it could launch a pre-emptive attack if it confirms indications that a new military strike is being prepared, as US Vice-President JD Vance said the door remained open to an agreement between Washington and Tehran, provided Iran adheres to what he described as good conduct and honours its commitments.
The positions come on the 105th day since the memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran was signed, and 214 days after the war between the two sides broke out, amid continuing military tensions in the region and stalled efforts to turn the interim understanding into a final agreement. Vance said in press remarks on Tuesday that there was still scope for an agreement with Iran, but linked this to Tehran honouring its commitments.
He also said he believed Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei was still alive, but was not involved in the day-to-day management of affairs. Vance had played a prominent role in promoting the memorandum of understanding signed in June, which temporarily halted military operations and opened the way for talks on Iran's nuclear programme, navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and economic sanctions.
Tehran announces approach of acting before a threat materialises
However, the deadline set for the negotiations expired without a final settlement being reached, before military operations and disputes over the implementation of mutual commitments resumed. Iranian media, meanwhile, quoted officials in Tehran as confirming the adoption of an approach allowing action against threats before they are carried out.
The Associated Press reported earlier in September that Iranian state media had linked this approach to an enhanced-capability ballistic missile, saying Iran would act against any threat even before it was carried out. Reports also quoted a source on Iran's Supreme National Security Council as saying that the armed forces had raised their state of alert in anticipation of a new attack.
The source added that Tehran would not wait for the strike to occur if indications of preparations for it grew stronger, and would then move towards pre-emptive escalation. The Iranian warnings came days after diplomatic activity on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly meetings in New York, which included indirect talks between US and Iranian officials through mediators.
Iranian proposal links reopening of strait to concessions
Tehran presented a proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within seven days in exchange for lifting the naval blockade on Iranian ports, granting exemptions from sanctions imposed on oil sales, releasing frozen Iranian assets and committing to a ceasefire covering other fronts in the region.
US President Donald Trump rejected the Iranian proposal in the form in which it was presented, saying Tehran wanted an agreement and Washington wanted one too, but that the offer on the table was unacceptable. Despite the public rejection, US and regional officials told the Associated Press that mediators continued working with both sides in an effort to narrow differences, end the fighting and reopen the strait.
According to the agency, the main points of disagreement concern the conditions for lifting the blockade and sanctions, guarantees for navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, the future of Iran's nuclear programme and the extent to which Tehran is prepared to implement verifiable commitments.
Agreement disputes coincide with new maritime incident
Washington has expressed doubts about the possibility of reaching an implementable agreement, while Iran says its demands must be met before the diplomatic track and a halt to the war can resume. In a parallel development, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency said it had received a delayed third-party report that a vessel had been struck by an unidentified projectile while transiting the Strait of Hormuz on the evening of Monday 28 September.
The agency said the strike caused a fire on board the vessel before it was extinguished, and that the vessel continued its voyage. All crew members were safe and no environmental impact was recorded. The Strait of Hormuz saw a series of incidents involving commercial vessels and tankers during September, amid an exchange of accusations between Washington and Tehran over threats to navigation.
US forces said earlier that they were helping commercial vessels cross a sea lane near Oman, while Iran says it has the right to regulate vessel traffic along the route it designates inside the strait. Tehran had offered to reopen the strait as part of a broader settlement, while the US administration linked any economic easing to Iran making tangible concessions on its nuclear programme.
Mediators from Qatar and Pakistan are continuing contacts between the two sides in an effort to revive the previous understanding and reach an arrangement that ends military operations and establishes provisions for navigation and nuclear negotiations.
