273 people currently following
Iran says a US proposal to end the ongoing conflict is still on the table. Officials in Tehran confirmed the plan is being reviewed. Reports suggest both sides could be moving closer to some form of agreement.
A US news outlet reported on Wednesday that the White House believes it is closing in on a 14-point memorandum of understanding with Iran. The document is described as a one-page framework that could pave the way for more detailed nuclear negotiations down the line.
Iran’s parliament was less enthusiastic. A senior member dismissed the report as a wish list. But the foreign ministry spokesman confirmed that Tehran would share its views on the proposal with Pakistani mediators once the review is complete.
Iran considering US proposal to end war – Trump says deal is possible
Pakistan’s foreign minister said his country is working hard to turn the current ceasefire into a permanent end to the war. President Donald Trump told reporters that talks with Iran have been very good in the last 24 hours. He added that a deal is very possible.
The reported memorandum includes several key provisions. A suspension of Iranian nuclear enrichment. Lifting of sanctions. Restoring free transit through the Strait of Hormuz. Sources cited by the news outlet said many of the terms would depend on a final agreement being reached.
Another news agency confirmed the initial report through two sources briefed on the mediation. But the proposal has not been publicly outlined by either government.
An Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson told local media that the American proposal is still being reviewed. Once the assessment is finished, Iran will inform the Pakistani side of its position.
The spokesperson for Iran’s parliamentary national security commission struck a harder tone. He wrote that the Americans will not gain in negotiations what they have failed to gain in war. He added that Iran has its finger on the trigger and is ready. If the US does not grant the necessary concessions, a harsh response will follow.
Trump has also issued threats. He wrote on his social media platform that if Iran does not agree to a deal, the bombing starts at a much higher level and intensity than before. He also said the initial US-Israeli offensive would come to an end assuming Iran agrees to what has been discussed.
Trump repeated his claim that Iran has agreed to never have a nuclear weapon among other things. Tehran has not confirmed this. Iran’s nuclear programme remains one of the key sticking points between the two sides.
On Tuesday, Trump announced he was pausing Project Freedom just days after it was launched. The operation was meant to help restore the flow of oil by guiding stranded ships out of the Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has not publicly reacted to the pause. But the Revolutionary Guard hinted the strait could reopen if the aggressors’ threats end.
The waterway remains largely blocked. About 20 percent of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas usually passes through it. Iran has effectively blockaded the strait since the US and Israel began attacks in late February. In early April, both sides announced a ceasefire. Iran stopped drone and missile strikes on Gulf countries. But few vessels have managed to transit the strait since.
The US has imposed its own blockade on Iranian ports. Its Central Command said it disabled an Iranian-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman on Wednesday that was attempting to break through.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there is full coordination between himself and Trump on Iran. He stressed there are no surprises. The most important objective, he said, is removing all enriched material from Iran and dismantling its enrichment capabilities.
His comments came after Israel launched its first strike on Beirut since a ceasefire was agreed in April. Netanyahu said forces targeted a senior Hezbollah commander responsible for firing at Israeli settlements and harming soldiers. Hezbollah began striking Israel in early March in retaliation for attacks on Iran. Despite the ceasefire agreement, both sides have continued exchanging fire and accusing each other of violations.
