Iran says it is 'ready for battle' after Qeshm strike, as Qatar awaits replies on new idea

Iran's leaders answered reported US strikes on Qeshm Island with a mix of threats and openings to diplomacy on Tuesday, as Qatari mediators said they had put a new idea to both sides and expected answers within 36 hours.

Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who leads Iran's negotiating team, said in a televised speech that Iran was "ready for battle with its finger on the trigger", and warned that any US strategic error would open "a new battlefield in the war", according to AFP and Euronews. "The ball is in America's court to prevent war," he said. Hours later President Masoud Pezeshkian said "no one will benefit from this war" if fighting resumed, and that his government was still trying to resolve the crisis "through dialogue", AFP reported.

What each side said

Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said Iran "retains the right to legitimate self-defence" after the strikes, CBS News reported. Mohsen Rezaei, whom CBS identified as secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, called the US response to Iran's proposals "not convincing" and said the Strait of Hormuz would reopen only if Iran's seven conditions were met. Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said Iran was "not afraid of diplomacy" but approached talks with "complete distrust", and that any understanding required an end to the war "on all fronts, including Lebanon".

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi praised the role of Qatar and Oman in a post on X and said Iran had no hostility towards Gulf Cooperation Council countries, Euronews reported.

Ghalibaf also said senior commanders and Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei had met last week and decided on "a response without geographical limits" to any attack, according to Euronews. The Tehran daily Hamshahri reported that Iran had updated its "target bank" to include US support bases in Europe; that is a press report, not an official statement.

On the US side, officials described Monday's strike as a limited, defensive response after Iran fired at a US aircraft; Central Command has not formally commented. Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they downed two US reconnaissance drones south of Qeshm and destroyed an MQ-9 east of the strait. Neither side's account has been independently verified. Israel's military said "no" when asked whether it took part, AFP reported.

The mediation

Qatari foreign ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari said Doha remained "hopeful that there is still a chance for a deal". An unnamed Qatari official told Reuters that mediators had proposed a new idea and expected feedback from both sides within 36 hours. Egypt's foreign minister, Badr Abdelatty, urged Iran to show "flexibility". US President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social that "Iran wants a settlement, as soon as possible".

Why it matters for India

India depends on Gulf oil and gas that normally passes through Hormuz, and Indian crews are among those most exposed to attacks in the strait: an Indian seafarer was killed this week when an Indian-flagged vessel was attacked off Oman. Whether the 36-hour window produces an interim deal, or the post-midterm escalation that Israel has reportedly pressed for, will shape fuel prices and shipping risk for India in the coming weeks.

What happens next

US midterm results are due from Wednesday morning, India time. Iran says it can reopen the strait within two days if its terms are met; Washington has not publicly responded to the latest proposal.