Iran studys peace deal, Trump denies halt to talks
Iran is reviewing a proposed deal to stop its wars with the United States, according to Iranian media reports, but has not communicated with Washington for several days, although US President Donald Trump said negotiations were ongoing.
More than three months after the United States and Israel launched an attack on Iran, the conflict has reached a stalemate with the implementation of a shaky ceasefire while the key Strait of Hormuz remains largely closed to maritime traffic.
Iran has yet to respond to the proposed final text of the interim agreement and has taken a “tough” approach given US non-compliance and a long history of mistrust, Mehr News Agency reported, citing a source.
The semi-official Fars agency, citing a source, also said that messages about the possible agreement or memorandum of understanding had been stopped a few days ago, adding that the last one was a “clear message” to Lebanon, where Iran is trying to stop its attack on Israel’s ally Hezbollah.
Trump said the proposal was “wrong and flawed” and that talks between the two sides continue uninterrupted.
“The talks between us were continuing continuously, including four days ago, three days ago, two days ago, one day ago and today,” he said in his social media post.
He made similar comments ahead of the Iran report on Monday.
Trump said on Monday that an agreement would be made next week to extend the ceasefire agreed in early April and reopen the strait. He has repeatedly said since mid-March that Iran is close to a deal that would postpone thorny issues, including the future of its nuclear program. The ceasefire has been largely in place since early April, but Iran and the United States have exchanged attacks several times in the past week.
Iran has agreed to negotiate aspects of its nuclear program that it has previously refused to discuss, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Congress on Tuesday, but added that was no guarantee the talks would lead to a deal. Trump said preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons is his top priority. Iran has always rejected requests to build a nuclear bomb, saying its atomic program is for peaceful purposes only.
Thousands of people, especially in Iran and Lebanon, lost their lives in the war that started on February 28. It has caused global pain by increasing energy prices since Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, which previously carried about a fifth of the global supply of oil and liquefied natural gas.
Oil prices rose to a one-week high on Tuesday. This also triggered the latest round of fighting between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah; Israel was carrying out its deepest attack on Lebanon in the last 25 years. Lebanese security sources said Israel continued its attacks on a number of towns in southern Lebanon on Tuesday, despite a partial ceasefire brokered by the United States declared on Monday.
This would require Israel to refrain from attacks on Beirut and the Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital, while the pro-Iran group halts attacks on Israel.
But the announcement did not reassure many Lebanese, 1.2 million of whom are displaced, and the noise made by an Israeli drone over Beirut unsettled residents on Tuesday.
Rubio, who is also Trump’s national security advisor, said in his testimony to Congress that the US negotiating team did not offer relief from Iran sanctions in exchange for reopening the strait, but that this was the first condition it had to meet.
“Iran is subject to sanctions because it has highly enriched uranium. Iran is sanctioned because of its nuclear activities. If they agree to give up these, there will be sanctions relief in connection with their commitment and compliance with these agreements,” he said.
