Iran readies harder retaliation if attacked as diplomacy faces long odds
USO•Iran is preparing a broader and more forceful response if the United States resumes large-scale attacks, while pursuing talks that officials privately consider unlikely to succeed. Tehran has proposed a seven-day deal involving an end to fighting, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and other conditions; President Donald Trump said he rejected it.
1. Retaliation planning intensifies
Iranian commanders are reviewing the scope and timing of a possible response, including targets beyond U.S.-linked assets and potentially locations outside the Middle East, officials and an insider said. No final decision has been made. Two officials said Tehran instructed allied groups in Lebanon, Yemen and Iraq to prepare to support Iran if the United States launches another large-scale attack.
2. Diplomacy remains uncertain
Iran submitted a proposal to Washington through Qatari mediators that could reopen the Strait of Hormuz and halt regional hostilities within seven days. The proposal calls for an end to fighting, lifting the U.S. blockade on Iranian ports, releasing at least $12 billion in frozen Iranian funds and waiving oil sanctions. Trump said Saturday he rejected it; Iranian state media reported a U.S. response was delivered through Qatar on Tuesday and is under review.
3. Economic and domestic pressures
The conflict and U.S. blockade have cut off Iranian oil exports, a critical source of revenue, while years of sanctions have added to economic hardship. A former senior reformist official said Iran's leadership fears renewed domestic unrest, following protests in January that authorities crushed. Amnesty International said more than 6,000 people had been arrested since hostilities began, and a September report by U.N. investigators cited mass arrests, torture and increased use of the death penalty.
