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US President Donald Trump on Tuesday confirmed launching strikes on Iran as President Masoud Pezeshkian warned no one would benefit from a return to war.<\/strong><\/p>\n It came as US voters prepared to cast their ballots in midterm elections that threaten Trump\u2019s grip on power.<\/p>\n Iran\u2019s chief negotiator in talks with the US, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said the Islamic republic was \u201cready for battle with its finger on the trigger\u201d, while deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi said Iran retained the right to \u201clegitimate self-defence\u201d after the strikes.<\/p>\n But Pezeshkian said his government was still trying to resolve the crisis \u201cthrough dialogue\u201d, adding that \u201cno one will benefit from this war\u201d if it reignited, and emphasising that the country\u2019s supreme leader had recently granted the government new powers to negotiate issues that were previously \u201coff-limits\u201d.<\/p>\n Trump confirmed the strikes on Iran in an interview with Fox News, after the Wall Street Journal, CNN, The New York Times and other outlets had reported strikes on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n \u201cThey built an anti-aircraft facility\u2026 As soon as it was completed, we hit it last night very nicely,\u201d Trump said on the Fox & Friends show, adding that it was a \u201cminor attack\u201d.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Asked if Israel was involved in the latest reported strikes, an Israeli military spokesperson told AFP, \u201cNo\u201d.<\/p>\n The Qeshm attack came just hours after Trump signalled a deal with Iran \u201ccould happen\u201d, as US voters prepared to cast their ballots in midterms dominated by public dissatisfaction with the war and the inflation it has brought.<\/p>\n \u201cIran wants a settlement, as soon as possible,\u201d Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.<\/p>\n 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. \u201cThe 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,\u201d he said in a televised speech.<\/p>\n \u201cThe ball is now in America\u2019s court to prevent war.\u201d<\/p>\n Qatar, a mediator in protracted indirect negotiations between the US and Iran, said it remained hopeful of an interim deal in the war.<\/p>\n \u201cBoth parties remain committed to the negotiation process; as we mentioned, we are facilitating the real-time exchange of proposals between them,\u201d foreign ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari told reporters.<\/p>\n Both sides \u201care currently reviewing the ideas and proposals we have presented,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n \u201cWe remain hopeful that there is still a chance for a deal to take place,\u201d he said, adding Doha was working \u201ctowards an interim deal\u201d.<\/p>\n Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Monday confirmed indirect negotiations were taking place.<\/p>\n \u201cGiven the sensitivity and gravity of the current situation, consultations and deliberations are very intensive,\u201d Araghchi told state media.<\/p>\n US Vice President JD Vance said both he and Trump were optimistic about securing an agreement.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve certainly made some progress. We\u2019ll see if we can make some more,\u201d Vance told reporters on Monday.<\/p>\n A senior Iranian official said that Tehran was ready to reopen Hormuz, a key route for global oil and gas supplies, within two days but only if Washington agreed to its long-standing list of demands.<\/p>\n In September, Iran proposed a seven-day plan to reopen the strait, with demands including ending the war on all fronts, unfreezing Iranian assets, lifting oil sanctions and ending its counter-blockade of Iranian ports.<\/p>\n \u201cThe possibility of implementing this plan in two days is another indication of Iran\u2019s good-faith approach,\u201d Tehran\u2019s foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei told reporters at a briefing.<\/p>\n In the lead-up to Tuesday\u2019s vote, Trump kept up his threats against Tehran, saying on Sunday that the United States may have to give Iran \u201cthe hammer\u201d at some unspecified time.<\/p>\n On Saturday, the US leader said he still had to \u201ctake care\u201d of one or two targets including so-called Pickaxe Mountain in central Iran, a suspected nuclear site which Tehran denies is such a facility.<\/p>\n Iranian officials have repeatedly warned of wide-ranging retaliation if the US resumes the war.<\/p>\n Authorities in Tehran installed a huge billboard in the heart of the capital, AFP journalists said on Tuesday.<\/p>\n Over a photo of the US president, it reads: \u201cWe will kill Trump\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\u2018Iran wants a settlement\u2019\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Ghalibaf said Tehran had made its position clear.<\/p>\n\u2018Committed\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Reopen the strait<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Billboard in Tehran<\/strong><\/h2>\n