Since negotiations began between the Trump administration and Iran regarding Tehran’s nuclear program status nearly a year ago, the very different demands of the two parties and the limits of concessions each was willing to make have posed an obstacle to a sustainable agreement.
However, on Tuesday evening, Donald Trump stated that he had received a „viable” ceasefire proposal from Iran, as reported by The Guardian.
The details of any plan will likely be worked out in future discussions. Pakistani Prime Minister Shebaz Sharif has invited delegations to Islamabad for negotiations on Friday, April 10. However, Iranian state media rushed to claim victory, displaying graphics with the message "Trump accepts Iran's conditions for ending the war" on state television screens.
But what are these conditions – and could Trump agree to them?
According to state media, Iran will only agree to end the war after finalizing details in accordance with a ten-point peace plan transmitted to the United States through Pakistani intermediaries.
The list of the 10 points published by state media includes a series of conditions that the US has rejected in the past. According to Iranian press, the plan includes:
- Lifting all primary and secondary sanctions imposed on Iran.
- Maintaining Iranian control over the Strait of Hormuz.
- US military withdrawal from the Middle East.
- Ceasefire on attacks against Iran and its allies.
- Release of frozen Iranian assets.
- A UN Security Council resolution to make any agreement binding.
"It must be noted that adopting such a resolution will make all these agreements binding in accordance with international law and will constitute a significant diplomatic victory for the Iranian nation," stated the country's Supreme National Security Council in a release.
The request for Iranian control over the Strait of Hormuz – a route through which approximately a fifth of the world's oil passes and which has practically blocked maritime traffic since the start of the five-week conflict – has been highlighted as particularly concerning, as Iran did not control the strait before the conflict began.
According to reports, the proposal would see Iran impose a fee of around $2 million and use the revenues – to be shared with Oman – for the country's reconstruction after over five weeks of American and Israeli strikes.
Democratic Senator Chris Murphy immediately reacted to Iran's statements, telling CNN, "who knows if all this is true, but if this agreement gives Iran the right to control the strait, it would be catastrophic for the world."
However, experts and analysts have suggested that Iran's maximalist demands are unlikely to be accepted by the US, but rather will serve as the basis for negotiations.