US President Donald Trump; Iran President Masoud Pezeshkian
Iranian media reported on Sunday that the United States “offered no tangible concessions” in its latest response to Tehran’s proposed agenda for negotiations aimed at ending the war that began with joint US-Israeli strikes on February 28 and has remained paused since April 28.“The United States, offering no tangible concessions, wants to obtain concessions that it failed to obtain during the war, This will lead to an impasse in the negotiations,” the Mehr news agency reported.According to the Fars news agency, Washington presented a list of five conditions, including:
- Tehran would keep only one nuclear site operational
- The Islamic Republic would transfer its stockpile of highly enriched uranium to the US
- The US would not release “even 25%” of Iran’s frozen assets abroad
- There would be no compensation for damage inflicted on Iran during the war
- Hostilities on all fronts must cease at the start of negotiations
In its proposal, Iran had called for an end to the war on all fronts, including Israel’s military campaign in Lebanon, as well as a halt to the US naval blockade on Iranian ports that has been in place since April 13. Lebanon was drawn into the conflict after Hezbollah, the militant group which is based in the country and is backed by Tehran, entered the war following the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, on the first day of hostilities.Meanwhile, Iran also demanded the lifting of all US sanctions and the release of its assets frozen abroad under longstanding American sanctions, according to the Iranian foreign ministry during a press conference last week. As per Fars, the proposal further emphasised that Tehran would continue to control the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global energy corridor that it has largely kept closed since the start of the war. Around 20% of the world’s oil supply passes through the Strait of Hormuz.Meanwhile, Iranian armed forces spokesman Abolfazl Shekarchi warned US President Donald Trump against resuming attacks on the Asian nation.“The desperate American president should know that if his threats are carried out, his country’s resources and military will be confronted with unprecedented, offensive, surprising and tumultuous scenarios,” Shekarchi said, according to state television.Similarly, deputy speaker of parliament Hamidreza Hajibabaei warned against targeting Iranian oil infrastructure.“If Iranian oil is harmed, Iran will take measures that will prevent the United States and the world from accessing oil from the region for an extended period,” news agency ISNA quoted Hajibabaei as saying.(With AFP inputs)
