Tehran:As tensions continue to remain high in West Asia, Iran has put forward another proposal to advance talks with the to settle the growing West Asia conflict. Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported that the document was delivered to Pakistan Thursday evening. Crucially, Islamabad has been serving as the conduit for the ongoing Tehran-Washington exchanges.
The move comes days after Iran offered a different plan to halt its military activity in the Strait of Hormuz through intermediaries in the region, an offer the US is likely to reject, CNN reported. US President Donald Trump has already shown his reluctance to accept the latest Iranian overture. Trump told his advisers during a high-level briefing earlier this week that he is “not likely to accept the plan” recently delivered to Washington.
What the new Iranian scheme offersIran’s latest offer centers on the reopening of maritime routes through the strategically important Strait of Hormuz. But it postpones all discussion of its nuclear programme to a later date. Washington is worried that opening up shipping lanes without addressing Iran’s uranium enrichment and “stockpile of near-bomb-grade uranium” would diminish U.S. leverage in ongoing diplomacy.
Despite reservations in the US, American experts acknowledge the difficulties of keeping the strait closed. CNN reported the ongoing disruption of maritime traffic has kept global energy prices high, and has led to a significant increase in fuel prices across the United States.
Trump reacts to new Iran offerMeanwhile, US President Donald Trump said he was "not satisfied" with Iran's latest proposal in negotiations to end the war between the countries, dismissing the plan as soon as it was delivered. “They want to make a deal, I’m not happy with it, so we’ll see what happens,” Trump told reporters Friday at the White House, the AP reported. Trump didn’t elaborate on what he saw as wrong with the latest proposal. “They want things I cannot agree to,” he said.
The President said negotiations have continued by phone after Trump called off his envoys’ trip to Pakistan last week. “I am frustrated by the fractured leadership of Iran,” he said. Earlier this week, Trump proposed a new plan to reopen the critical passageway used by America’s Gulf allies to export their oil and gas.
High drama as Islamabad talks collapseThe latest round of planned talks between Washington and Tehran in Islamabad fell apart after the Iranian delegation, headed by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, abruptly left Pakistan on Saturday evening. The group had a day of high-level meetings with Pakistani leaders before departing. Al Jazeera reported that Iran had handed the United States and Israel a “official list of demands” before it left the talks.
Iran's sudden withdrawal prompted Trump to cancel the upcoming visit of the U.S. delegation led by Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Senior Adviser Jared Kushner. The talks were aimed at resuming efforts for a comprehensive peace agreement in West Asia.
Another failed diplomacy of the pastThis setback mirrors the earlier first round of peace talks hosted in Islamabad, which saw US Vice President JD Vance and Iranian Parliamentary Speaker MB Ghalibaf engage in a marathon 21-hour dialogue without reaching any meaningful breakthrough. With the second round now in tatters, Pakistan’s chances of playing a pivotal role in brokering peace seem more and more remote.