Pakistani officials on Wednesday said they delivered a 15-point ceasefire proposal from the United States to Iran. An unnamed senior Iranian official told Reuters the proposal has been received, and either Pakistan or Turkey could host further ceasefire negotiations.
The Iranian official who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity did not provide any details of the proposal, or clarify whether it was the same as the document Pakistan reportedly delivered.
Two Pakistani officials told the Associated Press (AP) they presented Iran with a U.S. proposal that included “sanctions relief, civilian nuclear cooperation, a rollback of Iran’s nuclear program, monitoring by the International Atomic Energy Agency, missile limits, and access for shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.”
According to the Pakistani officials, their Iranian counterparts appeared to “dismiss the terms” offered by the United States.
Three sources in the Israeli cabinet told Reuters that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been briefed on the ceasefire proposal, which included “removing Iran’s stocks of highly enriched uranium, halting enrichment, curbing its ballistic missile program, and ending funding for regional allies.”
Another source “familiar with Israel’s war plans” said Netanyahu would only support the ceasefire if it preserves “Israel’s option to conduct pre-emptive strikes.”
An Egyptian official who claimed to be involved in mediation between the U.S. and Iran described the ceasefire plan as a “comprehensive deal” that includes “restrictions on Iran’s missile program and its arming of armed groups.” He compared the deal in scope to the ceasefire agreement that ended the Gaza war.
The Egyptian source said the Iranians were “very skeptical” of the Trump administration, but could be willing to hold talks in Pakistan as early as Friday.
“I think there could be talks this weekend in Islamabad, Pakistan,” agreed Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), in an Italian newspaper interview on Wednesday.
Iranian officials have said they were not speaking with the U.S. or considering any ceasefire proposals. Iranian military spokesman Ebrahim Zolfaqari mocked the notion of dealing with the U.S. in a statement on Wednesday.
“Has the level of your inner struggle reached the stage of you negotiating with yourself?” Zolfaqari taunted the United States.
“People like us can never get along with people like you,” he sneered.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Beghaei said in an Indian television interview that America’s attack was a “betrayal of diplomacy,” and there have been “no talks or negotiations between Iran and the United States since then.”
“No one can trust United States diplomacy. Our position is clear on what they have claimed. Right now, our brave military is focused on defending Iran’s territory and sovereignty against this brutal and illegal war,” he said.
Iranian parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghaibaf on Monday insisted “the Iranian people demand complete and remorseful punishment of the aggressors.”
“No negotiations have been held with the U.S.,” he insisted. “Fake news is used to manipulate the financial and oil markets and escape the quagmire in which the U.S. and Israel are trapped.”
President Donald Trump said on Monday he has held “productive conversations” with Iran. On Tuesday, he said the Iranians have “agreed they will never have a nuclear weapon.”
Trump said his administration has “a number of people” working on negotiations, “and the other side, I can tell you, they’d like to make a deal.”
“They gave us a present and the present arrived today. It was a very big present, worth a tremendous amount of money,” he said, adding that the enigmatic gift was “oil and gas-related.”