Kamal Ghorui
Damage in Tehran (AP file photo)
Iran on Thursday officially conveyed its reponse to Pakistan on the US 15-point proposal for de-escalation talks, calling it one sided and unfair.“Iran’s assessment is that it is “one-sided and unfair”, serving only US, Israel interests,” reported Reuters quoting a senior Iranian official, confirming that the proposal “was reviewed in detail on Wednesday night by senior Iranian officials and the representative of Iran’s Supreme Leader”.
The official further criticised the US proposal, arguing that it effectively asks Iran to give up its defensive capabilities without offering a clear or credible pathway for sanctions relief. “In brief, the proposal suggests that Iran would relinquish its ability to defend itself in exchange for a vague plan to lift sanctions,” he said, adding that the proposal lacked the minimum requirements for success.He further indicated that diplomatic engagement remains distant, noting the absence of any concrete framework for talks.He said there was “still no arrangement for negotiations, and no plan for talks appears realistic at this stage”, while Turkey and Pakistan were trying to help “establish common ground between Iran and the United States and reduce differences”.This comes a day after Iran had already publicly rejected US 15-point proposal on possible de-escalation talks in Pakistan or turkey, countering with their own 5 demands. Iran had said that any ceasefire will happen only on its own terms and timeline.It laid out key conditions, including a halt to attacks, guarantees against future conflict, war reparations, and recognition of its rights over the Strait of Hormuz, while ruling out negotiations until these are met.Meanwhile, the US proposal included curbs on Iran’s nuclear and missile programmes in exchange for sanctions relief, but Iran has dismissed it as unrealistic on Wednesday too. With continued strikes between Iran and Israel and disruptions to global energy flows, the situation remains tense.
