Iran claims it downed three US drones near Hormuz as Araghchi says talks are 'very intensive'

Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) said on Monday that they had brought down three US drones near the Strait of Hormuz, even as Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said indirect talks with Washington to avert a return to war had become "very intensive". The US military had not publicly responded to the drone claims by early Tuesday, India time.

The IRGC's aerospace force said two MQM-170 reconnaissance drones were brought down south of Qeshm Island using electronic warfare, and that a separate MQ-9 Reaper was destroyed east of the strait by a new air-defence system, according to Iranian state broadcaster Press TV as reported by ANI. The semi-official Tasnim news agency reported only the two MQM-170s, which it said brought to four the number of that type Iran has captured. None of the claims could be independently verified. The US military has rejected Iran's account of an earlier drone incident last Thursday.

Talks through Qatar and Pakistan

"Given the sensitivity and gravity of the current situation, consultations and deliberations are very intensive," Araghchi said in a video interview with the state news agency IRNA, reported by ABC News. He said Qatar and Pakistan were "playing a very active mediating role".

Iran has offered to reopen the strait within two days if the United States meets its demands, which the foreign ministry spokesman, Esmaeil Baqaei, described as a sign of Iran's "good-faith approach". According to AP, Tehran's conditions are an end to the war on all fronts, including Lebanon, the release of frozen assets, the lifting of oil sanctions and an end to the US counter-blockade of Iranian ports. Iran also says ships using a reopened strait would have to follow a route agreed by Iran and Oman.

President Donald Trump wrote on social media on Monday that "Iran wants a settlement as soon as possible. It could happen!", and claimed oil prices had fallen by almost $10 a barrel. ABC News reported that oil fell about 6% on Monday on hopes of a deal; Trump's figure could not be confirmed. Vice-President JD Vance told Fox News that "we've certainly made some progress".

Netanyahu presses for strikes

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is urging the Trump administration to carry out another wave of strikes on Iran, AP reported, citing two regional officials and a third person familiar with the matter, all speaking anonymously. Netanyahu pressed the case in a weekend call with Trump, who "would not commit" to military action, according to a person briefed on the call. The White House did not directly respond and the Israeli government did not immediately comment, AP said.

The same officials told AP that mediators were working on a framework under which Iran would stop attacks on shipping in the strait in return for the US lifting its blockade of Iranian ports, with more talks planned this week. Other regional governments are warning Washington against new strikes, AP reported.

Shipping remains at risk. The UK Maritime Trade Operations centre said on Monday that a vessel had been hit by an "unknown projectile" that left a hole in it, with all crew reported safe, according to AP.

Why it matters for India

India buys much of its crude oil and cooking gas from Gulf producers whose cargoes pass through Hormuz, and thousands of Indian seafarers work on ships in the region, so any deal that reopens the strait would ease fuel costs and risks to crews. A collapse of the talks would do the opposite.

What happens next

Americans vote in the midterm elections on Tuesday. Trump has hinted that he is considering resuming attacks on Iran after the vote, CBS News reported, while saying he wants to give negotiations a chance. Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has warned that any renewed fighting would have "no geographical limitations".