President Donald Trump claims that negotiations are underway with Iran to end the war and has even put forward a fifteen-point plan. However, Tehran denies the existence of any talks. It’s hard to know who is telling the truth as the war in the Middle East entered its 26th day on Wednesday, following Israeli-American attacks on Iran. On one hand, President Trump says that Washington and Tehran are negotiating “at the moment” to try to end the conflict. On the other hand, several top Iranian officials deny this. Here’s what we know.
What does Donald Trump say?
Several times, including this Tuesday, President Donald Trump has stated that negotiations are ongoing with Iran “at the moment” to end the war. “What I said yesterday (Monday) was exactly right,” said the US head of state on Tuesday, clarifying that his envoy Steve Witkoff, son-in-law Jared Kushner, Vice President JD Vance, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are involved.
When asked by the press about the possibility of an agreement to end the war, Donald Trump responded, “I think we are going to end it. I can’t tell you for sure.” But according to him, Iranian leaders “want to reach an agreement.”
“They did something yesterday (Monday) that was great actually. They gave us a gift and the gift arrived today (Tuesday). And it was a very big gift, the equivalent of a lot of money,” he added. When asked if this “gift” was related to the nuclear issue, the US president replied, “No, it was not related to nuclear. It was related to oil and gas.”
“And it was a very nice thing they did, it showed me that we are dealing with the right people,” he emphasized. Answering a new question about whether the Iranian “gift” was related to maritime navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, Donald Trump this time replied in the affirmative. “Yes, it was related to traffic and the strait,” he confirmed. Iran then indicated that “non-hostile ships” could again pass through the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
What is the US plan?
In this context, several media outlets, including the New York Times and Israeli television channel Channel 12, report that the Trump administration has proposed a fifteen-point peace plan to Iran through Pakistan, which has good relations with both parties. According to three unnamed sources cited by Channel 12, the US is proposing a one-month ceasefire, giving Iranian authorities time to consider their demands.
Among the fifteen points, five concern the Iranian nuclear program, others require the abandonment of support for Iran’s allies in the region, such as Lebanese Hezbollah or Palestinian Hamas, and one point insists that the Strait of Hormuz remain open to maritime navigation. In return, Iran would receive a lift on international sanctions against it and support for its civilian nuclear program.
“No negotiations,” Iran insists
On the other side, Iran adamantly insists that it is not negotiating with Washington. The spokesman for its army reiterated that the US “are negotiating with themselves.” “As we have always said… no one like us will do business with you. Not now, not ever,” said Ebrahim Zolfaqari on Iranian state television.
“We clearly stated yesterday (Tuesday) that there are no talks or negotiations between Iran and the United States,” said the spokesman of the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Esmail Baghei on India Today this Wednesday morning. “We have had a catastrophic experience, it must be said, with American diplomacy. We were attacked twice within nine months, while we were in the midst of negotiating to resolve the nuclear issue. This is a diplomatic betrayal,” he added.
“We have also heard such details from the media, but according to my information – and contrary to what Trump claims – no direct or indirect negotiations have taken place between the two countries so far,” also affirmed the Iranian ambassador to Pakistan Reza Amiri.
According to the Wall Street Journal, citing sources close to the matter, Iran is setting several weighty conditions to resume negotiations. Among them are the closure of all American bases in the Gulf, reparations for attacks against Iran, passage rights for ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, the lifting of sanctions against Iran, or an end to strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
