Iran-US deal to end war remains far off despite mediator push: Iranian official

• The diplomatic stalemate follows overnight military operations, including US defensive strikes on Qeshm Island
• Iranian officials stated that progress on reopening the Strait of Hormuz requires Washington to accept Iranian terms

An agreement between Iran and the United States to end ongoing hostilities remains out of reach despite urgent, multi-track diplomatic efforts to prevent a renewed cycle of conflict following Tuesday’s US midterm elections, a senior Iranian official told Reuters.

A US official said that US forces conducted "defensive" airstrikes targeting surface-to-air missile installations on Iran's Qeshm Island after projectiles were fired toward American assets. Concurrently, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it had intercepted and destroyed a US MQ-9 drone operating in the airspace east of the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

Mediation teams, led primarily by Qatar, have been attempting to bridge fundamental divides between the two governments. Qatari negotiators traveled to Tehran on Monday evening to review a draft framework that has been under discussion for eight days.

"Mediators are working hard to narrow gaps between Tehran and Washington," the senior Iranian official said.

However, the official underscored limits to Iranian concessions, stating: “Tehran's conditions must be met if the US wants Hormuz reopened.” The official added that broader discussions on the nuclear file could only proceed afterward and maintained that Tehran would reject Washington's "excessive demands."

In Tehran, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf reiterated that Iran had delivered a "strong and rational response" to U.S. counterparts, remarking that the ball is now in Washington's court.

Addressing lawmakers, Ghalibaf warned against coercive policies. "The enemy seeks to force the Iranian nation into submission through threats and military action, but they are sorely mistaken, Iran will not submit," he said, stating that any military miscalculation by the US would trigger an unpredictable response unbounded by geographic limits.

The senior Iranian source affirmed that Tehran is prepared to retaliate forcefully across the region and beyond if struck again.

In Washington, US President Donald Trump appeared to leave room for maneuver on Monday regarding whether he would execute earlier warnings to resume military strikes following the midterm vote, noting his assessment that Tehran sought an immediate resolution.

Alongside direct messaging between Washington and Tehran, parallel diplomatic outreach is underway across the Middle East. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that talks with Saudi Arabia remain active, reaffirming Tehran’s goal of establishing regional security frameworks managed exclusively by local states without foreign military deployment.

Last week, delegations from Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan met with Iranian officials in Tehran, marking the first high-level multilateral contact among the four nations since August.

Riyadh characterized the talks as an initiative to establish channels designed to "prevent the return of military escalation."