The Iranian army assured on Saturday that it was “stronger” than at the start of the war in the Middle East, saying it was ready to respond to any attack “immediately” and “without geographical limits” after recent American threats. If diplomatic negotiations to avoid a resumption of hostilities have recently intensified, Donald Trump is raising the prospect of new bombings on the Islamic Republic.
“The armed forces of the Islamic Republic are today on higher alert and more powerful than they were at the start of the war,” said army spokesperson Mohammad Akraminia, quoted by the official IRNA agency. “On the orders of the Supreme Leader, any response by the armed forces will be immediate, effective and without geographical limits,” he added.
Two explosions on the island of Qeshm
During the night from Friday to Saturday, Iranian state television reported two explosions on the island of Qeshm, with the Tasnim agency reporting two missiles which struck it. Without confirming, the Iranian army, cited by the Iranian media, shortly after indicated that it had destroyed an American military drone on this island located in the Strait of Hormuz.
The latter had already been targeted by limited strikes on the night of Monday to Tuesday, just before the mid-term elections in the United States which resulted in a scathing setback for Donald Trump. “We are carrying out minor strikes,” the American president again admitted Friday evening, without specifying whether he was talking about new attacks or those from the beginning of the week.
$20 million for information on Iran's nuclear program
The elected Republican recognized that the war in the Middle East, which has caused energy prices to soar since its launch at the end of February, partly explained the Democrats' victory, while assuring that it was "the only solution": "We cannot let Iran have nuclear weapons," he ruled Tuesday evening. The US military announced Friday that it was offering a reward of $20 million “and possible relocation” to anyone providing information on Iran's nuclear program. Tehran has always denied wanting to acquire atomic weapons, defending its right to civilian nuclear power.
After a series of recent Israeli-American threats, diplomatic negotiations to avoid a resumption of hostilities have recently intensified under the aegis of the Qatari mediator. Donald Trump spoke with the Emir of Qatar on Friday, while the head of Iranian diplomacy increased his calls this week with his Gulf counterparts.
Control of the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic issue
Key issue in the discussions: control of the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran regularly claims that ships are destroyed by mines. The military spokesperson repeated on Saturday that Iranian forces would only unblock this strategic passage for hydrocarbon trade if the United States accepted the conditions set by Tehran.
Iran has already said it is ready to reopen Hormuz if Washington accepts a series of measures such as a ceasefire on all fronts in the region, a thaw of its assets held abroad, the lifting of sanctions hitting its oil sector as well as the end of the American naval blockade against its ports. The United States has so far refused.
With no clarity on the US president's strategy toward the Islamic Republic after Tuesday's election rout, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has since warned that the Middle East conflict would expand if the United States resumes strikes against the Islamic Republic. But he dismissed any prospect of a change in American policy, saying that those who hoped for it “were sorely mistaken”.
