Iran Spells Out Conditions for Resumption of Negotiations with U.S.
Iran has informed mediators in the negotiations with the U.S. of its conditions which the U.S. must agree to for a resumption of negotiations to end the U.S.-Israeli unprovoked aggression against Iran. It is a three-phase framework according to media reports, with the first phase being an end to U.S.-Israeli aggression and securing guarantees that fighting will not resume against Iran and Lebanon. Until this first phase is realized, Iran does not intend to discuss any other issues, the report said. The second phase would address management of the Strait of Hormuz and reportedly envisions coordination with Oman to establish a new legal framework governing the strategic waterway. Iran's nuclear program would only be discussed once the first two stages of the plan are realized.
These details were revealed over the April 25-26 weekend in the
course of a diplomatic initiative by Iran which saw Iranian Foreign
Minister Abbas Araghchi in conversations with his counterparts from
Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Pakistan and Russia.
Oman's Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said he held "good talks" with Minister Araghchi in Muscat, Oman on April 25 and called for diplomatic efforts to ensure lasting freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz following U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran.
The Associated Press reported on these developments in a distorted manner, claiming instead that "Iran offered to end its restriction of the strait if the U.S. stops a blockade and the current conflict against Tehran." Ending the U.S. naval blockade is of course contained in the first of the three conditions set by Iran -- ending hostilities, but the AP report deliberately left out that phase one also includes not only ending all U.S. aggression against Iran, including the naval blockade, but also Israeli aggression on Lebanon.
In and of themselves, Iran's diplomatic efforts are yet another defeat for the U.S.-Israeli war of aggression on Iran, which accomplished none of its objectives, led to massive destruction of U.S. military assets in the region, left U.S. allies in the region exposed to tit for tat retaliation on their energy infrastructure by Iran and earned the U.S. and its myth of human rights and rules-based order nothing but contempt internationally.
Germany for example, even while committing to send a naval
mine-hunting vessel to the Mediterranean, as part of early planning for a
"possible mission in the Strait of Hormuz" at the
same time outright distanced itself from the U.S. military and
"diplomatic" effort to defeat
Iran. Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on April 27 that Iran's leadership
is effectively "humiliating" the United States amid the ongoing war.
"The Iranians are clearly stronger than expected and the Americans
clearly have no truly convincing strategy in the negotiations either,"
Merz said. "At the
moment, I do not see what strategic exit the Americans will choose,
especially since the Iranians are clearly negotiating very skillfully --
or very skillfully not negotiating," Merz continued. He further
stated that "an entire nation is being humiliated by the Iranian
leadership," particularly
by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
On May 2, the Iranian Tasnim news agency reported on Iran's
14-point plan for a permanent peace agreement that outlines its position
on ending the war. This was given to the U.S. via Pakistan which is
acting as
an intermediary in ongoing indirect exchanges between the two countries.
Iran said it wants to focus on ending the war instead of extending the
truce and wants all issues resolved within 30 days. The Iranian proposal
is said to include demands for guarantees against future military
action, the withdrawal of U.S. forces from areas near Iran, the lifting
of the maritime blockade, the unfreezing of Iranian assets and
compensation payments. It also calls for an end to hostilities across
all fronts, including Lebanon, as well as the establishment of a new
framework for managing the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs, Kazem Gharib Abadi, during a briefing to foreign ambassadors on his country's proposal said that "the ball is now in the U.S. court" regarding the choice between pursuing diplomacy or continuing the war. However, he stressed that Iran continues to take a position of "pessimism and lack of trust" toward the U.S. and its sincerity in any proposed diplomatic process.
This article was published in
Volume 56 Number 29 - May 4, 2026
Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/TML2026/Articles/T560292.HTM
Website: www.cpcml.ca Email: editor@cpcml.ca