Diplomatic showdown in the Middle East: Despite reports of negotiations brokered by Pakistan, Iran’s military leadership sharply rejects any deals with the Trump administration.
Pakistan passed the proposal on to Iran, US media such as the Axios portal and the New York Times reported. The plan therefore demands major concessions from the leadership in Tehran. At the same time, according to media reports, the US government ordered the deployment of thousands of soldiers from an airborne division to the Middle East.
Reports of the alleged US proposal and a possible planned meeting between representatives of the US and Iran mediated by Pakistan caused oil prices, which had risen dramatically since the start of the war, to fall slightly. Confident statements from US President Donald Trump that Iran allegedly “absolutely wants to conclude a deal” also contributed to this. For the USA, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance are involved in negotiations, Trump said.
However, a quick agreement on a ceasefire seems rather unrealistic: Iran is by no means defeated, but is still capable of attacking Israel and the states in the Persian Gulf and blocking the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran is therefore unlikely to want to fulfill Washington’s wish list.
Iran counters with its own maximum demands
The Wall Street Journal also reported on a response from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard to the US move, which in turn is said to include numerous demands that Washington is unlikely to meet – including the evacuation of all US military bases around the Persian Gulf and a new system that would allow Iran to collect tolls from ships traveling through the Strait of Hormuz.
The strait between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman is of great strategic importance, not only for the transport of oil and liquefied natural gas. Currently, shipping traffic has practically come to a standstill due to Iranian attacks and threats, which is why oil and gas prices have risen sharply since the war began a good three and a half weeks ago.
What exactly is the US demanding?
In its 15-point plan, the USA is reportedly calling for, among other things, the destruction of important facilities in the Iranian nuclear program, a halt to uranium enrichment and the production of ballistic missiles, and a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. In addition, Iran should hand over its stock of already enriched uranium – and thereby allay fears that the Islamists in Tehran could one day get their hands on nuclear weapons. In return, the tough sanctions against Iran should be relaxed, as the Wall Street Journal reported.
“Axios” reported that US special envoy Steve Witkoff told Trump that the Iranians had agreed on several key points – including that they were prepared to give up their stockpiles of enriched uranium. Officially, Tehran says that there can be no talk of negotiations with the Americans at all.
The media reports citing informed US officials could not initially be independently verified. It also remained unclear how Israel, as an important war party and weapons partner of the USA, would feel about a possible ceasefire agreement with its archenemy.
French head of state Emmanuel Macron spoke to Iranian President Massoud Peseschkian and called on his leadership to “participate in negotiations in good faith to pave a path to de-escalation,” as Macron subsequently announced on Platform X.
Pentagon deploys airborne forces to Middle East
According to the Washington Post, the US Department of Defense ordered the deployment of around 3,000 soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East. The New York Times, on the other hand, spoke of around 2,000 soldiers. The US special forces can parachute over enemy territory and could conceivably be the spearhead of a possible ground operation.
There is still no decision to be made as to whether ground troops will actually be deployed in Iran. The Wall Street Journal found that the relocation of the soldiers would in any case give Trump additional options for action.
In connection with the relocation of US marines, there has long been speculation that Trump could use the troops to take Iran’s most important oil export port on the island of Kharg in the Persian Gulf. The logic goes that the USA could use this lever as a means of pressure against Iran. In that case, Tehran would be virtually unable to export any oil itself – and would therefore have little interest in opening the Strait of Hormuz. However, a loss of exports via Kharg Island would be economically devastating for Iran.
Fuel depot at Kuwait airport on fire
Meanwhile, Iran continued its attacks on targets in the Persian Gulf states with missiles and drones. Tehran considers these Arab states to be US allies and therefore sees them as legitimate targets.
A fuel depot at Kuwait’s international airport was hit in a drone attack overnight and caught fire. According to initial findings, the damage was limited and there were no injuries, the government said. No information was given about the alleged attacker. According to the military, air defenses fended off enemy drones and missiles during the night. Iran has recently targeted airports several times, such as the important hub in Dubai.
The air defense in Saudi Arabia also intercepted numerous drones during the night, as well as a ballistic missile, as the Ministry of Defense announced. According to the Interior Ministry, warning sirens were activated in Bahrain. The island nation’s citizens were called upon to remain calm and seek safety.
Iran’s military leadership rejects negotiations with Trump
Iran’s military leadership has rejected reports of negotiations to end the war and criticized the US government. “Your (own) conflicts have reached the stage where you are negotiating with yourself,” said the spokesman for the central headquarters Chatam al-Anbija, which brings together the operational leadership of the Iranian armed forces in the event of war.
“You will neither be able to invest in the region nor will you see the previous prices for energy and oil again,” said the military spokesman. The US would have to accept that Iran’s armed forces guarantee stability in the region. The “action against the Iranian people” must disappear from the “corrupt minds” of Americans, he said. They will not come to terms with the US government. “Neither now nor any time else.”
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WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX)
