&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "'Via Pakistani mediator': Iran responds to new US proposal to end war - Will there be a breakthrough?")
Iran on Monday (May 18) said that it has responded to a new US proposal aimed at ending the war, amid reports claiming that America is planning to strike the Islamic Republic again. Iranian Foreign Ministry in a statement said that exchanges were continuing between the US and Iran via Pakistan that has been acting as a mediator. This comes despite Iranian media describing Washington's demands in its latest proposal as excessive. "As we announced yesterday, our concerns were conveyed to the American side," foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said during a press briefing. He said exchanges were "continuing through the Pakistani mediator", without providing details.
In the same press conference, Baqaei said that Iranian leaders are in talks with the Omani side to develop a mechanism to ensure navigation via Strait of Hormuz. He said that last week , an expert meeting was held in Muscat, and contacts between Iran and Oman on this issue are ongoing. “We have no enmity with any of the countries in the region and will be permanent neighbours. We invite all countries in the region, including the UAE, to be wary of the machinations of foreign parties,” he said.
What was the proposal by US?
Iran’s Fars news agency on May 17 reported that Washington gave a five-point list which included a demand for Iran to keep only one nuclear site in operation and transfer its entire stockpile of highly enriched uranium to the US. Iran in its proposal had demanded some prerequisites for starting negotiations. The conditions included the end of the war on all fronts — with particular emphasis on Lebanon, the lifting of sanctions, the release of Iran’s frozen financial assets, compensation for war damages and formal recognition of Iran’s sovereign rights over the Strait of Hormuz.
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Is second round of talks in Pakistan possible?
This comes a day after Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif hinted that a second round of direct talks between the Washington and Tehran is possible in Islamabad. The Pakistan PM said that he is “optimistic about achieving permanent peace between the United States and Iran,” adding that Islamabad is working to “do its utmost” to guarantee that outcome through hosting a new round of negotiations. The statement also comes after Trump held talks with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu amid reports claiming that war might resume.
The US president is also expected to hold a Situation Room meeting on Tuesday. While Trump administration stated that it has ended Operation Epic Fury, a report suggested that that US officials are planning to launch fresh strikes on Iran under a new name “Operation Sledgehammer" and the Pentagon has already identified sites for the possible strikes.
