IN BRIEF
- Trump said he was going to review a new Iranian peace proposal but cast doubt over its prospects.
- The dour outlook comes after Iranian media said Tehran had submitted a 14-point proposal to mediator Pakistan.
On Sunday, U.S. President Donald Trump announced he was examining an Iranian proposal aimed at resolving ongoing hostilities.
“I’ll update you on it later,” he remarked before taking off on Air Force One.
“They briefed me on the deal’s framework. I’m awaiting the detailed wording now.”
Two Iranian news agencies, Tasnim and Fars, which are considered to have close ties with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, reported that Iran had put forward a 14-point proposal via Pakistan, countering a nine-point U.S. proposal.
Pakistan has previously facilitated negotiations between the U.S. and Iran.
According to Iranian media, their proposal demands the withdrawal of U.S. forces from regions near Iran, lifting of blockades, release of Iran’s frozen assets, compensation payments, removal of sanctions, cessation of warfare on all fronts including Lebanon, and the establishment of a new oversight mechanism for the strait.
Possibility of new strikes
Shortly after speaking to reporters, Trump sounded sceptical about Iran’s plan in a post on social media.
He wrote on his Truth Social platform that he “can’t imagine that it would be acceptable in that they have not yet paid a big enough price for what they have done to Humanity, and the World, over the last 47 years”.
A senior Iranian official told Reuters news agency on Saturday that an Iranian proposal so far rejected by Trump would open shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and end the US blockade of Iran while leaving talks on Iran’s nuclear program for later.
Trump rejected a previous Iranian proposal this week. However, conversations have continued, and the three-week ceasefire appears to be holding.
Asked if he might restart strikes on Iran, Trump replied: “I don’t want to say that. I mean, I can’t tell that to a reporter. If they misbehave, if they do something bad, right now we’ll see. But it’s a possibility that could happen.”
On Friday, Trump said that “on a human basis”, he did not prefer the military course of action and told congressional leaders he did not need their permission to extend the war beyond a deadline set by law for that day because the ceasefire had “terminated” hostilities.
Iran says it is ready for diplomacy
Washington has repeatedly said it will not end the war — which has led to the deaths of thousands of people — without a deal that prevents Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, the primary aim Trump cited when he launched strikes in February in the midst of nuclear talks. Iran says its nuclear program is peaceful.
Speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss confidential diplomacy, a senior Iranian official told Reuters the Iranian government believed its latest proposal to shelve nuclear talks for a later stage was a significant shift aimed at facilitating an agreement.
Under the proposal, the war would end with a guarantee that Israel and the United States would not attack again. Iran would open the Strait, and the US would lift its blockade.
Future talks would then be held on curbs to Iran’s nuclear program in return for the lifting of sanctions, with Iran demanding Washington recognise its right to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes, even if it agrees to suspend its nuclear program.
“Under this framework, negotiations over the more complicated nuclear issue have been moved to the final stage to create a more conducive atmosphere,” the official said.
The US and Israel suspended their strikes against Iran four weeks ago, but appear no closer to a deal to end a war that has caused the biggest disruption ever to global energy supplies, roiled global markets and raised worries about the possibility of a wider global economic downturn.
Iran has been blocking nearly all shipping from the Persian Gulf apart from its own for more than two months. Last month, the US imposed its own blockade of ships from Iranian ports.
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