Tehran:Iran has made a fresh proposal to move forward negotiations with the in the midst of the ongoing tension in West Asia to resolve the escalating West Asia conflict. Iran's state-run IRNA said Tehran handed over its latest document to Pakistan on Thursday evening. It is worth noting that Islamabad has been serving as a go-between in the ongoing exchanges between Tehran and Washington.
This comes just days after Iran, through regional intermediaries, presented a separate proposal to cease its military activities in the Strait of Hormuz, a proposal likely to be rejected by the US, CNN reported. US President Donald Trump has already shown his unwillingness to accept the latest Iranian overture. In a high-level briefing earlier this week, Trump told advisers he was “not likely to accept the plan” recently delivered to Washington.
What the new Iranian plan would entailThe latest offer from Iran is to open up maritime routes through the strategically important Strait of Hormuz. But it postpones all discussion of its nuclear programme to a later stage. Washington officials fear that reopening shipping lanes without resolving Iran’s uranium enrichment and its “stockpile of near-bomb-grade uranium” would weaken US leverage in ongoing diplomatic talks.
American experts concede that there are problems with leaving the strait blocked, despite US misgivings. The prolonged pause in ship traffic has kept global energy prices high, leading to a steep rise in fuel costs in the U.S., reported CNN.
High drama as talks collapse in IslamabadThe latest round of planned talks between Washington and Tehran in Islamabad fell apart when the Iranian delegation led by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi abruptly left Pakistan Saturday evening. The group had held a day of high-level meetings with Pakistani leaders before leaving. Iran walked out of the talks after delivering a “official list of demands” to the United States and Israel, Al Jazeera reported.
Trump canceled the trip of the US delegation led by Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Senior Adviser Jared Kushner following Iran’s sudden exit. The talks were aimed at reviving efforts for a comprehensive peace deal in West Asia.
A repeat of diplomatic failures of oldThis setback is similar to the first round of peace talks that took place in Islamabad, where US Vice President JD Vance and Iranian Parliamentary Speaker MB Ghalibaf talked for 21 hours without making any progress. Pakistan's chances of playing a key role in bringing about peace seem to be getting less and less likely as the second round falls apart.