On the 3rd local time, Iran stated that no new progress had been reached in the negotiations between Iran and the United States. In addition, all parties in Iran have made intensive statements on the situation, conveying Iran's tough position: "Iran will never surrender" "The United States must fully and clearly respond to the seven conditions proposed by Iran and implement them before the Strait of Hormuz will be opened" "Iran is ready for war and is in the highest level of defense"...
On the same day, Qatar said that the United States and Iran were studying the plan proposed by the mediator. The two sides were still willing to continue negotiations, but their differences still needed to be bridged, and there was no specific progress announced yet. Qatari mediators are expected to receive feedback from the United States and Iran on a new proposal within the next 36 hours, people familiar with the matter said.
US President Trump said that he would not rule out taking military action against Iran after the mid-term elections.
On the 3rd local time, Bagaei, a member of the Iranian negotiating delegation and spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated that no new progress has been reached in the negotiations between Iran and the United States, and the exchange of information between the mediators between Iran and the United States is still continuing. At the same time, Iran's defense preparedness is at its highest level.
"Never Surrender" Iran made intensive statements on the situation
In addition, continuing Iran's recent consistent position, all parties in Iran continued to speak out intensively on the Iran-US negotiations, the Strait of Hormuz and other issues on the 3rd, demonstrating a tough attitude.
Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said on social media that the United States’ response to Iran’s rights and demands has not been convincing. The United States must fully and clearly respond to the seven conditions proposed by Iran and implement them before the Strait of Hormuz will be opened. Previously, Rezai mentioned in October that Iran had proposed seven conditions to the United States and clearly informed the United States that it would not open the Strait of Hormuz to it unless these conditions were met. However, Iran has not yet disclosed the specific contents of these seven conditions.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Qalibaf said that the United States has deep-rooted hostility towards the Iranian people and is trying to force Iran to surrender through threats and military actions, but Iran will never surrender. Iran's supreme leader has formulated a military strategy to deal with possible enemy attacks and will make unpredictable military and strategic responses to any miscalculation by the enemy. Qalibaf emphasized that Iran is ready for combat and is at the highest level of defense. The choice now lies with the United States.
Abdullahi, Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, announced five principles that Iran believes will achieve lasting peace in the region, including stopping wars on all fronts in the region; lifting sanctions against Iran and unfreezing Iranian assets; paying war compensation to Iran; recognizing Iran's sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz; and ensuring that the United States will not invade Iran again.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps issued a statement stating that the United States is using threats, psychological warfare and media warfare in an attempt to start another war and to destroy Iran as soon as possible. The Revolutionary Guards' current top priority is to maintain a high level of combat readiness and respond quickly and effectively to threats of any level and type.
Iranian military spokesman Akraminiya said that any further acts of aggression by the United States will immediately be met with "a more decisive and broader response than before." If a new war breaks out, it will not be limited to the Middle East.
Trump says he won't rule out military action against Iran after midterm elections
U.S. President Trump said on the 3rd that the United States had launched a "small-scale attack" on Iran, adding that it was "not a war." Trump said in a phone interview: "Iran took about two months to build an air defense facility... The United States has been observing its construction process, and as soon as it was completed, we hit it "very beautifully" last night." He also said that "this was a small-scale attack, not a war."
Trump said the United States had "complete control" of the Strait of Hormuz and said he would not rule out military action against Iran after the midterm elections.
Several explosions were heard from Qeshm Island in southern Iran in the early morning of the 3rd local time. There is news from the United States that the US military launched an attack on Qeshm Island and destroyed an Iranian missile launcher.
Qatar says the United States and Iran are studying mediation plans, but differences between the two sides still need to be bridged
Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majid Ansari said on the 3rd that the United States and Iran are studying the plan proposed by the mediator to end the conflict, and both sides are still willing to continue negotiations. Ansari also said that Qatar is coordinating closely with Pakistan, members of the Gulf Cooperation Council and other regional and international partners to continue to deliver plans between the United States and Iran, and "work to bridge differences is still ongoing." He also reminded that the continued contact between the parties should not be interpreted as a breakthrough, and there is currently no specific progress announced. On the same day, our reporter learned that an official familiar with the negotiations said that Qatari mediators expected to receive feedback from the United States and Iran on a new proposal within the next 36 hours. The proposal aims to promote progress in US-Iran negotiations.
Analysts believe Iran is showing a tough attitude to gain more bargaining chips
Iranian public opinion believes that Iran’s recent increasingly tough stance is based on two considerations:
Mediators such as Qatar are working hard to mediate relations between Iran and the United States, but there is news that the differences between Iran and the United States on key issues have not been substantially narrowed. Iran hopes to gain more leverage in negotiations by showing a tough attitude;
Given that U.S. officials have repeatedly stated that they are considering whether to launch a new round of military operations against Iran, Iran is also warning the United States that it should carefully consider a series of possible consequences of a war against Iran.
Analysis points out that if the United States chooses the military option, it will once again have serious impacts and consequences on the entire Middle East. If both parties choose to negotiate and reach an agreement, how to reach agreement on key issues is also a real problem. Past negotiations between Iran and the United States have shown that even reaching an agreement does not necessarily mean the smooth implementation of the agreement. How to resolve the gap between paper agreements and actual implementation commitments will be one of the main challenges for both parties.
Producer丨Zheng Hong
Producer丨Zhao Xinyu
Editor-in-Chief丨Sun Meng
Editor | Liu Wei
Reporters丨Li Jiannan Yu Peng
