Iran has said it is ready to defend itself for “as long as it takes” against the US after Donald Trump insisted he was not ready to agree a deal to end the Middle East conflict.
The US president claimed Tehran was keen to negotiate a ceasefire, but that the terms “aren’t good enough yet”. Mr Trump boasted that his military could bomb targets on Iran’s Kharg Island once more “just for fun” after US warplanes “obliterated” military installations on the key oil island on Friday.
His words were met with fightback from Iran. Speaking later on Sunday, Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi told CBS News: “We never asked for a ceasefire, and we have never asked even for negotiation.”
He added: “We are ready to defend ourselves as long as it takes. And this is what we have done so far, and we continue to do that until President Trump comes to the point that this is an illegal war with no victory.”
The comments dealt a blow to diplomatic efforts to end a war that has spread across the Middle East and killed more than 2,000 people, most of them in Iran and Lebanon. They also marked a sharp escalation from Mr Trump, who had previously said the US was targeting only military sites on Kharg.
It came as Iran launched fresh missile and drone attacks on Israel and countries in the Gulf. Israel also carried out “wide-scale” strikes on Iran overnight on Saturday.
As these exchanges continued into Sunday and shipping lanes remained blocked, US energy secretary Chris Wright said he expected the war to end within “the next few weeks”, bringing a swift rebound in energy supplies along with lower prices.
The conflict has plunged global energy markets into unprecedented chaos after Iran shut off the vital Strait of Hormuz. Last week, the International Energy Agency said the conflict had created “the largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market”.
Mr Araghchi also told CBS that Iran is open to discussions with others about the Strait of Hormuz, its blockade of which is currently disrupting oil markets.
“We are open to countries who want to talk to us about the safe passage of their vessels,” he said. “I cannot mention any country in particular, but we have been approached by a number of countries who want to have safe passage for their vessels. And this is up to our military to decide, and they have already decided to let a group of vessels belonging to different countries to pass in a safe and secure [manner].”
President Trump has called on countries that have been affected by the shutdown to join his efforts to reopen the strait, which usually carries about a fifth of the world’s oil and gas supplies. More than 600 ships are trapped in the Red Sea.
According to a report in the Financial Times, European Union foreign ministers are due to meet on Monday to discuss widening the EU’s regional Aspides naval mission, which protects shipping against Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, to include the Strait of Hormuz.
French officials have also been seeking to assemble a coalition to secure the strait once the security situation stabilises, according to reports.
Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has vowed in a statement to keep the strait closed. But Mr Trump responded: “I don’t know if he’s even alive. So far, nobody has been able to show him.”
Iran has said Mr Khamenei, 56, was injured in the strike that started the war last month, but has insisted he is still alive.
Meanwhile, the UK’s energy secretary Ed Miliband confirmed that the government is looking at sending minehunting drones to the Middle East to tackle Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
Asked about the possibility of sending the drones, he told Sky News: “We do want to work with our allies to seek to get the strait reopened. And as you say, there are a range of things that we can do, including autonomous minehunting equipment. And that’s something we’re obviously looking at.”
Mr Miliband said it is “in all of our interests to get the strait reopened”, but added: “We also need to de-escalate this crisis, because the best and most conclusive way to get the strait reopened is to get this conflict to come to an end.”
Iran and the US have been at war for decades. Here’s how it began
Afghan who fought for US forces dies in ICE custody as Trump on track for grim record
Emergency oil stocks released to counter Iran war price shock
Tucker Carlson says Trump’s Justice Department is coming for him
Extreme weather sweeps US with blizzards, floods, and tornado warnings
US energy chief has dire prediction about gas prices under Trump
