Iran is currently reviewing a United States peace proposal that, according to sources, aims to formally conclude the ongoing conflict. However, the proposal reportedly leaves key US demands unresolved, specifically concerning Iran’s nuclear program suspension and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
\nAn Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, quoted by Iran\u2019s ISNA news agency on Wednesday, stated that Tehran would convey its response. US President Donald Trump expressed optimism, believing Iran desires an agreement. \u201cThey want to make a deal. We\u2019ve had very good talks over the last 24 hours, and it\u2019s very possible that we\u2019ll make a deal,\u201d Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
\nA day prior, President Trump had paused \u201cProject Freedom,\u201d an initiative to reopen the blockaded Strait of Hormuz, citing progress in the ongoing peace talks. The de facto blockade of this crucial waterway poses a significant threat of a global recession. Iran has been actively seeking to maintain control over Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil and gas supply passes.
\nThis report delves further into the US proposal to end the war and experts’ perspectives on how Iran might respond.
\nWhat is the latest US proposal to end the Iran war?
\nUS media outlet Axios reported that the two sides were \u201cgetting close\u201d to an agreement based on a 14-point document. Under this memorandum, Iran would reportedly agree not to develop nuclear weapons and to halt uranium enrichment for at least 12 years.
\nIn return, the US would lift sanctions and release billions of dollars in frozen Iranian assets. Both sides, which have imposed competing blockades in the Strait of Hormuz, would commit to reopening the critical waterway within 30 days of signing the agreement.
\nIran has been subject to US sanctions for decades. While some sanctions were lifted under the 2015 nuclear agreement, this reversal occurred after President Trump withdrew from the landmark deal, which was signed under his predecessor, President Barack Obama. Billions of dollars of Iranian assets remain frozen in foreign banks due to these sanctions.
\nIt remains unclear how this proposed memorandum differs from a 14-point plan put forward by Iran just last week.
\nThe Reuters news agency reported on Thursday, citing a source briefed on the mediation efforts, that the US negotiations were being led by Trump\u2019s envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner. If both sides agree on a preliminary deal, it would trigger a 30-day period of detailed negotiations aimed at reaching a full agreement.
\nA full agreement would entail ending the competing US and Iranian blockades on the strait, lifting US sanctions, and releasing frozen Iranian funds. It would also include specific curbs on Iran\u2019s nuclear program, which has been monitored and allowed by the United Nations nuclear watchdog.
\nWhile sources indicated that the memorandum would not initially demand concessions from either side, they did not mention several key demands Washington has made in the past, which Iran has consistently rejected. These include curbs on Iran\u2019s missile program and an end to its support for armed proxy groups in the Middle East.
\nThe sources also made no mention of Iran\u2019s existing stockpile of more than 400kg (900lb) of near-weapons-grade uranium.
\nIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a close ally of Trump, stated on Wednesday that he and the US President agreed that all enriched uranium must be removed from Iran to prevent it from developing a nuclear bomb.
\nThe US and Israel reportedly bombed Iranian nuclear sites last June during a 12-day conflict, after which Trump claimed that Tehran\u2019s nuclear program was obliterated. However, a significant portion of Iran\u2019s enriched uranium stockpile is believed to remain buried inside the bombed nuclear sites.
\nTehran denies any ambition to acquire a nuclear weapon, insisting its program is for civilian purposes, as permitted by its status as a signatory to the non-proliferation treaty.
\nCould Iran agree to this proposal?
\nIran has yet to formally respond to the latest US proposal, though Iranian leaders have expressed skepticism.
\nIranian lawmaker Ebrahim Rezaee, a spokesperson for the parliament\u2019s influential foreign policy and national security committee, described the text as \u201cmore of an American wish-list than a reality.\u201d
\nIran\u2019s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf appeared to mock reports suggesting the two sides were close to a deal, writing on social media in English that \u201cOperation Trust Me Bro failed.\u201d
\nAl Jazeera\u2019s Resul Serdar Atas, reporting from Tehran on Thursday, stated that Iran is still reviewing the US proposal, with a response expected to be conveyed to Pakistani mediators later that day.
\nThe Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed the news of a potential agreement between Iran and the US, adding that it would not disclose additional information at this stage.
\n\u201cAs mediators, we will not lose the trust of both parties by revealing details,\u201d it said in a statement quoted by Al Jazeera Arabic.
\nAtas further reported that \u201cIranians are saying that, at this stage, they\u2019re not negotiating their nuclear program; it\u2019s only about ending the war on all fronts.\u201d
\nHe added that Tehran seeks direct guarantees from the UN Security Council, a lifting of sanctions, and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
\n\u201cIf that is achieved, in a second phase, they\u2019re ready to discuss their nuclear program.\u201d
\nAl Jazeera\u2019s Almigdad Alruhaid reported from Tehran on Tuesday that Iran has established \u201ca very firm red line\u201d regarding the nuclear file, stating that \u201cThe nuclear enrichment program is non-negotiable.\u201d
\nAccording to former US Assistant Secretary of State Mark Kimmitt, Trump\u2019s reported demand that Iran halt all uranium enrichment is unrealistic and unlikely to be accepted by Tehran.
\n\u201cIf there is anything the Iranians are going to insist upon in these negotiations, it is their right to enrich uranium to the 3.67 percent level, which is allowed under nuclear non-proliferation treaties,\u201d he told Al Jazeera.
\nKimmitt added that even the 2015 nuclear deal permitted Iran to continue enrichment. Iran significantly boosted its enrichment up to 60 percent after Trump withdrew from the deal in 2018 during his first term.
\nHowever, Kimmitt postulated that Trump might seek to have Iran\u2019s existing stockpile of enriched uranium moved outside of Iran. He added that Iran might either agree to relocate the enriched uranium or dilute it down to a non-enriched state.
\nAlruhaid, the Al Jazeera correspondent, however, reported that Iran is resisting handing over its existing stockpile of enriched uranium.
\nIran is believed to possess approximately 440kg (970lb) of uranium enriched to 60 percent. A 90 percent threshold of enriched uranium is generally considered necessary to produce a nuclear weapon.
\nAl Jazeera\u2019s Alruhaid also noted that \u201cthe sovereignty on the Strait of Hormuz is becoming one of the main issues on the negotiating table.\u201d He added, \u201cWe are seeing the Iranians are tightening their control. They are setting new protocol, new mechanism for controlling that strategic chokepoint for each vessel that is to pass through.\u201d
\nUS allies in the Gulf, who bore the brunt of Iranian retaliatory strikes, have been advocating for the unconditional restoration of navigation in the strait. Iran carried out attacks on Gulf nations, primarily targeting US military assets, after the US and Israel launched attacks on it on February 28.
\nTrump has repeatedly highlighted the prospect of an agreement that would end the war, so far without success. The two sides remain at odds over a variety of difficult issues, such as Iran\u2019s nuclear ambitions and its control of the Strait of Hormuz.
\nA Pakistani source and another source briefed on the mediation told Reuters that an agreement was close on a one-page memorandum that would formally end the conflict, the agency reported on Thursday.
\nThis agreement would initiate discussions to unblock shipping through the strait, lift US sanctions on Iran, and establish curbs on Iran\u2019s nuclear program, the sources said.
\nAl Jazeera, however, stated it could not confirm the veracity of these reports.
\n#USIranTalks #PeaceProposal #StraitOfHormuz #NuclearDeal #IranSanctions #MiddleEastPeace #Diplomacy #IranNuclearProgram #DonaldTrump #Geopolitics<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Iran is currently reviewing a United States peace proposal that, according to sources, aims to formally conclude the ongoing conflict. However, the proposal reportedly leaves key US demands unresolved, specifically concerning Iran’s nuclear program suspension and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. An Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, quoted by Iran\u2019s ISNA news agency on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7248,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7247","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-middle-east-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vanak.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7247","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vanak.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vanak.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vanak.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vanak.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7247"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vanak.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7247\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vanak.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7248"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vanak.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7247"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vanak.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7247"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vanak.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7247"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}