On Wednesday, Iran firmly dismissed President Trump’s proposed 15-point peace plan and instead set forth its own comprehensive demands to end the ongoing conflict.
Despite President Trump’s assertion that Iran had agreed to significant aspects of his proposal, including relinquishing its nuclear weapons ambitions, Iranian state media reported that Tehran found the plan unacceptable and communicated this stance to mediators.
In response, Iranian lawmakers unveiled their own proposal, which included Iran assuming control over the strategic Strait of Hormuz and ensuring the security of its allied forces abroad.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a powerful faction within the Iranian regime, pledged to continue the conflict until the United States agreed to shut down all its military bases in the Gulf region and compensate Iran for prior hostilities.
Moreover, Iran’s leadership demanded complete control over the Strait of Hormuz, a vital maritime corridor responsible for the passage of 20% of the world’s oil supply.
This control would enable Iran to levy transit fees on ships navigating the strait, akin to Egypt’s management of the Suez Canal.
The new source of revenue for Iran would be compounded with an end to all sanctions on the Islamic republic, according to Tehran’s demands.
Iran also demands a permanent end to the war, as well as Israel’s fight with the Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorist group in Lebanon.
While the regime made no mention of its nuclear program in the demands, it said Iran should be allowed to keep its missile program with no negotiations to limit it.
The demands fly in the face of Trump’s 15-point peace plan, with a US official calling it “ridiculous” and “unrealistic,” according to the WSJ.
Iran’s demands directly clash with several of Trump’s proposals, the bulk of which were made public by Israel’s Channel 12.
The outlet’s report contains 14 of the 15 demands the Trump administration has conveyed to Iran:
- Iran must dismantle existing nuclear capabilities.
- Iran must commit never to pursue nuclear weapons.
- No uranium enrichment on Iranian territory.
- Iran must hand its stockpile of enriched uranium to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
- The Natanz, Isfahan and Fordo nuclear facilities must be dismantled.
- The IAEA must be granted full access to Iran’s nuclear facilities.
- Iran must abandon its “regional proxy paradigm.”
- Iran must cease funding, directing and arming its proxies.
- The Strait of Hormuz must remain open.
- Iran’s missile program must be limited in both range and quantity.
- Iran must limit its use of missiles to self-defense.
In return, Iran would benefit from:
- The end of sanctions imposed by the international community.
- US assistance to advance its civilian nuclear program.
- A “snapback” mechanism allowing for the automatic reimposition of sanctions if Iran fails to comply would be removed.
Tehran had slammed Trump’s demands as “excessive” and disconnected from the realities on the ground as the US has yet to fulfill its goals in the fourth week of the war, a senior Iranian official told PressTV.
“Iran will end the war when it decides to do so and when its own conditions are met,” the official said.
“The end of the war will occur when Iran decides it should end, not when Trump envisions its conclusion,” he added.
With Iran and the US still not directly negotiating with each other, it’s up to intermediaries in the Middle East to try and reach a compromise to end the war.
