The White House reportedly believes that Iran’s latest proposal to the US to end the ongoing war is not a meaningful improvement and is insufficient for an agreement.
The Iranian counter-proposal, sent to the US via Pakistani mediators, offers only token improvements over the previous version, Axios reported, citing a senior US official and a source briefed on the matter. Follow US-Iran war news LIVE updates
Tehran reportedly submitted its latest 14-point proposal through Pakistan for talks with Washington to end the ongoing war in the Middle East.
The new offer was focused on the subject of the negotiations and confidence-building measures by the US.
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While the new version has more words on Iran’s commitment not to pursue a nuclear weapon, it has no details about the Islamic Republic suspending its uranium enrichment or handing over its existing stockpile.
The US official also reportedly said that no relief of sanctions will be provided “for free” without reciprocal action from Iran. His remark came in response to Iranian media reports suggesting that the US had agreed to waive some oil sanctions on Iran during the peace negotiations.
What did Iran propose now?
Iran submitted its latest 14-point proposal to the US after making some amendments.
A Pakistani source told Reuters on Monday that Islamabad has shared a revised proposal with the US, warning that the two sides “don’t have much time” to narrow their differences.
While there aren’t any details available on Iran’s revised proposal, the source reportedly told the news agency that Tehran and Washington “keep changing their goalposts”. “We don’t have much time,” they said.
Talk ‘through bombs’ if no deals: US
“We are really not making a lot of progress. We are at a very serious place today. The pressure is on them to be responsive in the right way,” the senior US official was quoted as saying.
He said it is time for Iranians to “throw bit of candy out.”
“We need some real, sturdy, and granular conversation (regarding the nuclear programme). If that’s not gonna happen, we will have a conversation through bombs, which will be a shame,” the official added.
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The US and Iran are not engaged in direct talks on the peace deal, but are involved in indirect talks to build consensus on what the actual negotiations would be like.
The US official also reportedly noted that though Iran’s new offer has very few changes, it still indicates that Tehran is concerned about further US military action, Axios reported.
Trump to discuss military options
US President Donald Trump wants a deal to end the war, but Iran’s consistent rejection of demands on its nuclear programme has brought military options back on the table.
The US President is likely to meet his top national security team in the Situation Room on Tuesday to discuss military options, the report mentioned.
