Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said there is no military solution to the conflict between Tehran and Washington, as efforts to end the war remain stalled.
Araghchi made the statement while addressing foreign ambassadors, warning that Iran would respond more forcefully if its opponents resumed military action.
“There is no military solution, nor any solution based on new sanctions,” he said, adding that negotiations based on “justice and fairness” were the only way to end the conflict.
The statement came amid renewed tensions over the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route for global oil and gas supplies.
Iran has sought to restrict shipping through the waterway since the start of the war, attacking vessels attempting to pass without its authorisation.
The United States has responded with a counterblockade of Iranian ports and has also attacked vessels it accused of violating the restrictions.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency said on Sunday that a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz had reported being hit by an unknown projectile, damaging its engine room.
The crew were reported safe, with no environmental impact recorded.
The agency did not provide details about the vessel or when the incident occurred.
Iranian and US officials held indirect talks on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly last week, with Tehran presenting seven conditions for reopening the strait.
Iran is demanding a ceasefire across the Middle East, the unfreezing of its assets abroad, the lifting of sanctions on its oil sector and an end to the US naval blockade, among other conditions.
US President Donald Trump rejected the proposal but left open the possibility of further negotiations or renewed military action.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said Tehran remained focused on the Strait of Hormuz and wanted an end to disruptions affecting Iranian commercial shipping and the lifting of sanctions.
The United States and Israel have said their military campaign was aimed at preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, an objective Tehran has repeatedly denied pursuing.
The conflict has since shifted towards the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz after its disruption caused major concerns in global energy markets.
The US has not carried out a strike on Iran since September 1 but has reportedly increased its military presence in the region.
US media reports said Washington had deployed additional Patriot missile systems to Saudi Arabia and Qatar to protect key energy facilities from possible Iranian retaliation.
The USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier and its strike group were also reportedly heading towards the Middle East, where they could join two other US carrier strike groups already in the region.
