Iran rejects nuclear concessions as Hormuz attacks test US diplomatic push

The latest phase of the US-Iran confrontation combines a dispute over nuclear material with a struggle over shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has tied reopening the waterway to American acceptance of its conditions, while Washington has continued economic pressure, according to Dawn.

Diplomacy has not stopped. Dawn reported that Qatar's prime minister joined G7 discussions after meeting US President Donald Trump. But the two sides remain far apart: Middle East Eye reported on November 10 that the US saw no need for new attacks while calling Iran's peace terms "absurd".

On November 10, Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Navy said two tankers using an unauthorized route through Hormuz had suffered explosions and caught fire, according to Mehr News. Later coverage from IRNA carried its claim that a third tanker had struck a naval mine. These were Iranian military accounts, not independently established findings in the supplied reports.

Diplomatic signals that day were mixed. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi dismissed speculation about a meeting between US Vice President JD Vance and Iran's secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, Tehran Times reported. Separately, Araghchi argued that neither military action nor intensified sanctions would resolve the conflict, according to NDTV.

On November 11, the IRGC Navy reported that two more tankers had hit naval mines and caught fire, according to IRNA. The National also reported that four Indian crew members were injured in an attack on a Liberia-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf. The supplied coverage does not establish whether that attack was one of the mine incidents.

Iran also hardened its negotiating position. RFE/RL reported on November 11 that the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council reiterated that enriched uranium would not be transferred abroad under a deal. Al Jazeera reported that Iran's parliament speaker and top negotiator, Ghalibaf, was awaiting an official US response to seven conditions and said Hormuz would never return to its pre-war status.

The threats extended beyond the Gulf. Iranian security chief Mohsen Rezaei said US bases in Europe could be attacked if used to launch strikes on Iran, Arab News reported on November 11. The same day, The Jerusalem Post reported Iranian strikes on maritime navigation infrastructure on Oman's Didamar island, while saying the damage and consequences for commercial shipping remained unclear.

Oil markets reflected the competing signals. Gulf News reported that Brent briefly fell below $90 as traders anticipated easing tensions. Euronews then reported a rebound on November 11 as investors monitored shipping attacks.

The latest coverage shows no settled agreement. In a report published November 12, Iran International said Trump had predicted on Wednesday that the war would end soon, even as Tehran rejected nuclear concessions and threatened wider retaliation. Washington was also intensifying economic pressure.

Hormuz remains a central obstacle. Major General Mohsen Rezaei said Washington had not provided a clear response to Iran's seven conditions for reopening the strait, according to ISNA. That leaves the diplomatic opening alongside continued shipping dangers, rather than an established return to normal traffic.

The immediate diplomatic test is an official American response to Iran's seven conditions. Al Jazeera reported that Ghalibaf was still waiting for one. Whether talks can address Iran's refusal to transfer enriched material abroad is another unresolved issue, following the position reported by RFE/RL.

At sea, clearer information is needed on the reported tanker explosions and the damage to navigation infrastructure on Didamar island. The Jerusalem Post said the impact on commercial shipping was unclear. Any renewed US strikes would also test Rezaei's conditional threat against bases in Europe, reported by Arab News.