Ready for battle with finger on trigger: Iran after US strikes

Iran's chief negotiator says it's up to the United States to prevent renewed war after what he described as a “firm and rational response” to Washington.

Iran’s chief negotiator and parliament speaker said the ball is now in the US court to prevent renewed fighting after what he described as a “firm and rational response” to Washington.

In an address to parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Iran remained ready “for battle with its finger on the trigger.” He did not elaborate and it was unclear what “response” he referred to.

His comment came after the US conducted “defensive” strikes on Iranian targets in the Strait of Hormuz on the eve of US’crucial midterm elections.

According to an official, the strikes targeted Iranians using surface-to-air missiles. The official wasn’t authorised to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Iranian state media reported explosions being heard on the islands of Qeshm and Hengam in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, and in the nearby mainland area of Bandar Abbas. Unlike earlier in the war, the strikes were not publicly announced.

Ghalibaf said: “If Washington makes another strategic miscalculation, it should know that this time it will face a new battlefield and will find itself even more desperate than it is today, searching for a way out.”

‘War can extend beyond Middle East, into Europe’

Another Iranian official warned that one more US strike could trigger attacks on US military bases, expanding beyond the Middle East across Europe.

Former Foreign Minister and parliamentarian Manouchehr Mottaki said in a state-televised speech that a new conflict “will not be a regional war” and “will reach Europe.” He singled out US bases in the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, and Portugal, stating that their host nations would be considered partners in any aggression from Washington and could face retaliation.

US President Donald Trump previously said the US wouldn’t launch strikes on Iran before the midterms. The unpopular war and the resulting impact on US gasoline prices and other parts of the economy have been a vulnerability for his Republican Party as it tries to keep control of Congress.

Vice President Vance buoyed hopes for a negotiated settlement

Back-channel negotiations have also been playing out as Israel and some Middle East allies lobby Trump on the way ahead in the more than 8-month-old war that’s rattled the global economy and wreaked havoc on Iran.

Speaking before the US official confirmed strikes, US Vice President JD Vance told reporters Monday that Trump “and I both feel pretty good about the prospects for potentially coming to a negotiated settlement.”

The Trump administration was last known to have carried out attacks in early September. But thousands of US troops remain in the waters off Iran to maintain a naval blockade aimed at preventing tankers carrying Iranian oil from reaching the global market. A third aircraft carrier and thousands of additional troops are also on their way to the Middle East.

The region is on edge about the prospects of the US resuming full-scale operations against Iran, and the new strikes were likely to renew concerns.