While there is no official deadline, Pakistani mediators are reportedly expecting a response from Tehran later today, Al Jazeera reported.The outlet quoted a member of Iran’s parliament and a former foreign minister as saying Iran would respond to Washington.
Iran’s current focus is on ensuring a complete cessation of the war on all fronts, and nuclear negotiations are not a priority at this stage.Tehran is seeking direct guarantees from the United Nations Security Council, lifting of sanctions and reopening of the Strait of Hormuz before discussing a possible second phase of its nuclear programme.Iran has also established a new agency called the Persian Gulf Straits Authority to oversee maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.Tehran said the maritime regime in the strait has changed and ships must communicate with Iranian authorities before transiting.
Trump sends optimistic signal, threatens new strikes
US President Donald Trump said the United States had had “very good talks” with Iran over the past 24 hours and expressed hope that the war would be “over as soon as possible.”However, Trump also warned that military operations may resume if diplomacy fails. “If this doesn’t end, we have to go back and bomb them,” he told PBS.The United States and Iran are closing in on a brief memorandum aimed at ending the conflict, CNN reported. The proposed one-page memorandum would reportedly launch a 30-day process to resolve disputes over Iran’s nuclear program, frozen Iranian assets and security arrangements in the Strait of Hormuz.Trump said any deal would require Tehran to ship its highly enriched uranium to the United States and pledged to close underground facilities.
Iran insists on lifting sanctions, sovereignty
Iranian officials have dismissed suggestions that a final deal is imminent. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran was still reviewing the proposal, while lawmaker Ebrahim Rezaei described the U.S. text as “more of an American wish list than reality.”Iran insists uranium enrichment and control of the Strait of Hormuz remain red lines.Al Jazeera reports that Tehran has rejected calls to move its stockpile of highly enriched uranium abroad.Meanwhile, Brigadier General Reza Talenik said the United States and Israel must “accept the rights of the Iranian nation” to pave the way for an end to the war, Press TV reported.These developments come amid continued tensions in the Gulf. Israel attacked a senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut on Wednesday and U.S. troops reportedly opened fire on an Iranian-flagged oil tanker as Washington struggled to enforce a blockade of Iranian ports.
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