Iran says it has sent its response to US proposals to end the war.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said his country – which has served as mediator – had received the Iranian response but could not share any details. He did not say if the proposal has already been passed on to the US.
The US has not made details of its proposals public, either, but reports suggest they centre on a 14-point memorandum of understanding, which could lead to negotiations on Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
A ceasefire meant to facilitate talks to end the war launched by the US and Israel in February has been largely observed, despite occasional exchanges of fire.
US news outlet Axios reported that the one-page, 14-point US memo, includes provisions such as a suspension on Iranian nuclear enrichment, the lifting of sanctions, and restoring free transit through the Strait of Hormuz.
It cited two US officials and two other sources – all unnamed – whom it described as briefed on the issues. These sources were reported as saying that many of the terms laid out in the memo would be contingent on a final agreement being reached.
The Iranian Isna news agency said Iran’s response focuses on “ending the war and maritime security” in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran has continued to block the waterway – leading to a rise in world oil prices.
The US, for its part, has been enforcing a blockade of Iranian ports to exert pressure on Tehran to agree to its terms – a move that has infuriated Iran.
On Sunday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian did not directly reference the proposal but said: “We will never bow our heads before the enemy, and if talk of dialogue or negotiation arises, it does not mean surrender or retreat.
US President Donald Trump this week predicted again that the war i–n Iran will be “over quickly” and said that most people “understand” his goal of ending Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.
But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium must be “taken out” before the war against Iran can be considered over.
“There’s still enrichment sites that have to be dismantled,” Netanyahu said in an excerpt of an interview due to air on CBS’s ’60 Minutes’ show.
Military spokesman Mohammad Akraminia said vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz would face “severe consequences” if they did not co-operate with Tehran first, Irna news agency reported.
Akraminia said Americans “will never be able to turn this vast expanse in the northern Indian Ocean into a real blockade by covering it with their fleet”.
Tehran has leveraged its effective control over the waterway – through which around a fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas usually flows – in the war, which began with US and Israeli strikes on 28 February.
It has warned – and in some instances attacked – vessels trying to cross the strait.
The US has a significant military presence across the Gulf, with bases in Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Oman.
It was announced on Saturday that the British Royal Navy was sending a warship to the Middle East, where it could join an international mission to safeguard shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.–BBC
