Bangkok: Iran is considering its latest request from the United States for a new round of peace talks. Iran is demanding credible assurances that there will be no further attacks on Iran during the negotiations. The U.S. is reviewing Iran's latest peace proposal, which aims to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, but insists that Iran must not possess nuclear weapons.
According to Thai News Agency, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said after meeting with President Vladimir Putin at the Boris Yeltsin Presidential Library in St. Petersburg that Iran was reviewing the US request for a new round of peace talks. The Iranian government later stated that Iran had not yet responded to the US on this matter. Araghchi added that cooperation between Iran and Russia is strong and a strategic partnership of the highest level. Putin expressed his support for Iran and affirmed that Russia is ready to do everything in Iran's best interest to achieve peace as quickly as possible.
Previously, several Iranian government officials stated that Iran had proposed a new plan and agreement to the United States, through a mediator like Pakistan, to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Key conditions included postponing nuclear negotiations to focus on ending hostilities and the naval blockade, and a guarantee that the US and Israel would not attack Iran again during any future negotiations. Iran distrusts the US after two previous attacks while negotiations were still ongoing. Once the war ended, the next step would be a guarantee against further attacks, followed by negotiations on the Iranian nuclear issue. In return, Iran would reopen the Strait of Hormuz. However, Iran proposed allowing cargo ships to pass through during negotiations, possibly with tolls or fees, to cover war reparations and national reconstruction.
President Donald Trump met with his national security team to consider the proposal, but there are signs that the U.S. may not accept it without a clear commitment to ending its nuclear program from the outset. Trump has emphasized that Iran must not possess nuclear weapons, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed concern that the proposal may simply be Iran's way of buying time.