Iran is reviewing a United States proposal to end the Persian Gulf war but has no intention of holding talks to end the widening conflict in the Middle East, the country’s foreign minister said, according to a Reuters report.
Comments by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi indicated that Tehran was willing to negotiate an end to the war if its demands were met. This is a departure from Iran’s initial negative response, as Iranian officials have publicly opposed the prospect of talks with the US.
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In an interview with state television, Araghchi said the proposal was being considered by Iran’s top leadership, although he dismissed any suggestion of direct involvement.
The exchange of messages through intermediaries “does not mean negotiations with the US, Araghchi said on state television, according to a Reuters report.
Araghchi also confirmed that Washington was sending messages through several intermediaries, but stressed that Tehran did not consider this a formal dialogue. “In their reports, they present the ideas that have been passed on to the highest authorities, and if necessary, they will communicate the position to them,” he said.
Araghchi said Iran is not seeking a long-term conflict, but wants a permanent solution — on its own terms. “Iran does not seek war, it wants a permanent end to the conflict,” he said.
“Lebanon must be included”
Iran has told mediators that Lebanon must be included in any ceasefire deal with the US and Israel, six regional sources familiar with Iran’s position told Reuters.
US President Donald Trump said Wednesday night at an event in Washington that Iran’s leaders are “negotiating by the way and they want to make a deal so bad, but they’re afraid to say it because their own people will kill them. They’re also afraid that we’ll kill them.”
Trump’s 15-point proposal, sent through Pakistan, calls for removing Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium, halting enrichment, curtailing its ballistic missile program and cutting off funding for regional allies, according to three Israeli cabinet sources familiar with the plan.
The conflict in West Asia entered its fourth week, disrupting trade routes through the Strait of Hormuz. Tensions escalated after the killing of Iran’s 86-year-old supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khameneiin joint US-Israeli military strikes on February 28.
In retaliation, Iran targeted Israeli and US assets in several Gulf countries, causing further disruption to the waterway and affecting international energy markets as well as global economic stability.
Iran’s actions target regional energy infrastructure and restrict movement over it Strait of Hormuz pushed oil prices higher and increased pressure on the US and its allies to secure a solution, according to several reports.
Trump will make sure they get hit harder: The White House
The White House refused to give details of its proposal and threatened to escalate its strikes.
“If they don’t understand that they have been defeated militarily and will continue to be defeated, President Trump will ensure that they are hit harder than ever before,” the White House press secretary said. Caroline Leavitt he told reporters.
A senior Israeli defense official said Israel was skeptical that Iran would agree to the terms and that Israel was concerned that US negotiators might make concessions. Israel also wants any deal to preserve its ability to carry out pre-emptive strikes, the second source said.
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The israeli army on Wednesday described several new waves of attacks on Iran throughout the day, including one on Iran’s shipbuilding and submarine construction. Iran’s semi-official SNN news agency said a residential area in Tehran had been hit, with rescue workers searching through the wreckage. Kuwait and Saudi Arabia said they had repelled new drone attacks.
Meanwhile, the Pentagon plans to send thousands of airborne troops to the Persian Gulf to give Trump more options to order a ground attack, Reuters reported, citing sources. The report added that two contingents of Marines were already on their way. The first unit of Marines aboard the huge amphibious assault ship could arrive by the end of the month.
Iran does not seek war; it wants a permanent end to the conflict.
Speaker of the Iranian Parliament Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf he said his country would attack an unnamed neighboring country if it cooperated with efforts by “enemies” to seize one of its islands.
From the beginning of what the US calls “Operation Epic Fury”, Iran has attacked countries that host US bases, effectively closing the Strait of Hormuz, a conduit for a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas.
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