New Delhi:
Iran has proposed a three-stage formula for negotiations should the United States want to return to the table for peace talks, local media reported, as both sides walked away from the second round of such discussions in Pakistan. The conditions laid out by Tehran revolve around the end of the war, Strait of Hormuz and nuclear issue.
Per Al Madayeen, Iran conveyed through the mediators to the US that if it wants negotiations to resume successfully, the three stages that they have to go through are:
Stage 1: Complete end of the war and guarantees to prevent its resumption against Iran and Lebanon.
Stage 2: If demands of first stage are agreed upon, the second stage would see the parties discuss the management and administration of the critical marine chokepoint Strait of Hormuz.
Stage 3: Only after the above two stages are crossed will Iran discuss the nuclear issue. This is a key point as the US has continued to demand that Tehran stops uranium enrichment for a long time and moves its stockpile out of the country.
Responding to the proposal, White House spokesperson Olivia Wales told Axios, “These are sensitive diplomatic discussions and the US will not negotiate through the press. As the president has said, the United States holds the cards and will only make a deal that puts the American people first, never allowing Iran to have a nuclear weapon.”
The proposed framework comes as the second round of Iran-US talks in Pakistan failed, with Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi visiting the country twice but refusing to hold direct talks with Washington. Trump, in response, said “no more 18-hour flights” for his envoys and added that discussions can always be conducted on call.
Araghchi was earlier in Oman, which sits on the other side of the strategic Strait of Hormuz, and then briefly visited Islamabad again on Sunday. He has now left for Russia, where he is scheduled to meet President Vladimir Putin to discuss latest developments regarding negotiations and the ceasefire in the Middle East.
Trump is scheduled to hold a situation room meeting with his top national security and foreign policy teams on Monday, Axios reported.
The first round of Iran-US talks in Islamabad ended in a stalemate.
The first round of talks between the two sides on April 11-12 in Pakistan ended in a stalemate, with US Vice President JD Vance saying that his side has made its “final and best offer” for a deal, adding, “We’ll see if the Iranians accept it.” Iran’s parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the head of his country’s negotiating team, said he had “put forward constructive initiatives”, but the US team did not win Iran’s trust.
A delicate ceasefire remains in place in the Middle East, but the war, which began on February, is nowhere near reaching a resolution despite nearing a two-month mark.
