Kamal Ghorui
Iran is still reviewing the latest proposal from the United States, but a formal response is expected by Thursday.According to Al Jazeera, while there is no official deadline, Pakistani mediators are reportedly expecting Tehran’s response later today.The outlet quoted a lawmaker in the Iranian parliament and a former foreign minister as saying that Iran would send a reply to Washington.
Iran is currently focused on securing a complete cessation of the war across all fronts and is not prioritising nuclear negotiations at this stage.Tehran is seeking guarantees directly from the UN Security Council, removal of sanctions, and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz before discussing its nuclear programme in a possible second phase.Iran has also established a new authority called the “Persian Gulf Strait Authority” to oversee maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.Tehran said the maritime regime in the strait has changed and vessels must communicate with Iranian authorities before transit.
Trump signals optimism, threatens renewed strikes
US President Donald Trump has said that the US had held “very good talks” with Iran over the past 24 hours and expressed hope that the war would “be over quickly.”However, Trump also warned that military action could resume if diplomacy collapses. “If it doesn’t end, we have to go back to bombing the hell out of them,” he told PBS.As per CNN, the US and Iran are moving closer to a short memorandum aimed at ending the conflict. The proposed one-page memo would reportedly initiate a 30-day process to resolve disputes over Iran’s nuclear programme, frozen Iranian assets and security arrangements in the Strait of Hormuz.Trump said that any agreement would require Tehran to ship its highly enriched uranium to the US and commit to shutting down underground facilities.
Iran insists on sanctions relief, sovereignty
Iranian officials have pushed back against suggestions that a final agreement is imminent. Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran was still examining the proposal, while parliamentarian Ebrahim Rezaei described the US text as “more of an American wish list than a reality.”Iran has maintained that uranium enrichment and control over the Strait of Hormuz remain red lines.Al Jazeera reported that Tehran is resisting calls to transfer its stockpile of highly enriched uranium outside the country.Meanwhile, Brigadier General Reza Talaei-Nik said the US and Israel must “accept the rights of the Iranian nation” to pave the way for ending the war, according to Press TV.The developments come amid continuing tensions in the Gulf. Israel struck a senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut on Wednesday, while US forces reportedly fired on an Iranian-flagged tanker amid efforts to enforce Washington’s blockade on Iranian ports.
