Iran said on Wednesday it was reviewing a United States peace proposal that sources said would formally end the war, while leaving unresolved the key US demands that Iran suspend its nuclear programme and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
An Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson quoted by ISNA news agency said Tehran would convey its response. US President Donald Trump said he believed Iran wanted an agreement. “They want to make a deal. We’ve had very good talks over the last 24 hours, and it’s very possible that we’ll make a deal,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
A day before, Trump paused “Project Freedom” to reopen the blockaded strait, citing progress in peace talks. The de facto blockade threatens to cause a global recession. Iran has been pressing to keep Hormuz under its control, through which a fifth of global oil and gas supply passes.
US media outlet Axios reported that the two sides were “getting close” to an agreement on a 14-point document. Under the memorandum, Iran would agree not to develop a nuclear weapon and halt enrichment of uranium for at least 12 years. The US would lift sanctions and release billions in frozen Iranian assets, and both sides would reopen the Strait of Hormuz within 30 days of signing.
Iranian lawmaker Ebrahim Rezaee described the text as “more of an American wish-list than a reality”. Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf mocked reports of a breakthrough, writing on social media that “Operation Trust Me Bro failed.”
Al Jazeera’s Resul Serdar Atas, reporting from Tehran, said Iran is still reviewing the US proposal and a response is expected to be given to Pakistani mediators. The Pakistani Foreign Ministry welcomed the news of a potential agreement but said it would not disclose additional information.
Atas noted that Iranians say they are not negotiating their nuclear programme at this stage; it is only about ending the war on all fronts. Tehran wants direct guarantees from the UN Security Council, lifting of sanctions and reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. If that is achieved, they are ready to discuss their nuclear programme in a second phase.
Former US Assistant Secretary of State Mark Kimmitt said Trump’s reported demand that Iran halt all uranium enrichment is unrealistic. “If there is anything the Iranians are going to insist upon, it is their right to enrich uranium to the 3.67 percent level, allowed under non-proliferation treaties,” he told Al Jazeera. He added that Trump might want Iran’s existing stockpile of enriched uranium moved out of the country, but Iran is resisting this.
Source: www.aljazeera.com