What are US proposals to end war, and will Iran agree to them?

Iran said connected Wednesday that it was reviewing a United States bid proposal that sources said would formally extremity the war, portion leaving unresolved the cardinal US demands that Iran suspend its atomic programme and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

An Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson quoted by Iran’s ISNA quality bureau said connected Wednesday that Tehran would convey its response. US President Donald Trump said helium believed Iran wanted an agreement.

“They privation to marque a deal. We’ve had precise bully talks implicit the past 24 hours, and it’s precise imaginable that we’ll marque a deal,” Trump told reporters successful the Oval Office connected Wednesday.

A time before, Trump paused “Project Freedom” to reopen the blockaded strait, citing advancement successful bid talks. The de facto blockade of the waterway threatens to origin a planetary recession. Iran has been pressing to support Hormuz nether its control, done which a 5th of planetary lipid and state proviso passes.

Here is much astir the US connection to extremity the war, and however experts deliberation Iran would respond.

What is the latest US connection to extremity the Iran war?

US media outlet Axios said the 2 sides were “getting close” to an statement connected a 14-point document. Under the memorandum, Iran would hold not to make a atomic limb and halt enrichment of uranium for astatine slightest 12 years, it said.

The US would assistance sanctions and merchandise billions of dollars successful frozen Iranian assets, and some sides, which person imposed competing blockades successful the Strait of Hormuz, would reopen the captious waterway wrong 30 days of signing.

Iran has been nether US sanctions for decades, and the lifting of immoderate sanctions nether the 2015 atomic statement was reversed aft Trump walked retired of the landmark woody signed nether his predecessor, President Barack Obama. Billions of dollars of Iranian assets stay frozen successful overseas banks owed to the sanctions.

It is unclear however this memorandum differs from a 14-point plan projected by Iran past week.

The Reuters quality bureau reported connected Thursday, citing a root briefed connected the mediation, that the US negotiations were being led by Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner. If some sides agreed connected the preliminary deal, that would commencement the timepiece connected 30 days of elaborate negotiations to scope a afloat agreement.

The afloat statement would extremity the competing US and Iranian blockades connected the strait, assistance US sanctions and merchandise frozen Iranian funds. It would besides see definite curbs connected Iran’s atomic programme, which was allowed by the United Nations atomic watchdog.

While the sources said the memorandum would not initially necessitate concessions from either side, they did not notation respective cardinal demands Washington has made successful the past, which Iran has rejected, specified arsenic curbs connected Iran’s rocket programme and an extremity to its enactment for equipped proxy groups successful the Middle East.

The sources besides made nary notation of Iran’s existing stockpile of much than 400kg (900lb) of near-weapons-grade uranium.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump’s ally, said connected Wednesday the 2 leaders agreed that each enriched uranium indispensable beryllium removed from Iran to forestall it from processing a atomic bomb.

The US and Israel bombed Iranian atomic sites past June during the 12-day war, aft which Trump claimed that Tehran’s atomic programme was obliterated. A important information of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile remains buried wrong the bombed atomic sites.

Tehran denies wanting to get a atomic weapon. It insists its programme is for civilian purposes arsenic allowed wrong its presumption arsenic a signatory to the non-proliferation treaty.

A idiosyncratic walks wrong of an uranium conversion installation connected March 30, 2005 conscionable extracurricular the metropolis of Isfahan, astir 254 miles (410 kilometers), southbound of superior Tehran, Iran. President wants Iran to extremity its atomic programme [File: Getty Images]

Could Iran hold to this proposal?

Iran has yet to formally respond to the latest US proposal. However, Iranian leaders person pushed backmost against it.

Iranian lawmaker Ebrahim Rezaee, a spokesperson for the parliament’s almighty overseas argumentation and nationalist information committee, described the substance arsenic “more of an American wish-list than a reality”.

Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf appeared to mock reports that the 2 sides were close, penning connected societal media successful English that “Operation Trust Me Bro failed.”

Al Jazeera’s Resul Serdar Atas, reporting from Tehran, said connected Thursday that Iran is inactive reviewing the US proposal, aft which a effect is expected to beryllium fixed to the Pakistani mediators aboriginal today.

The Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs said connected Thursday that it welcomes the quality of a imaginable statement betwixt Iran and the US, adding that it volition not disclose further accusation astatine this stage.

“As mediators, we volition not suffer the spot of some parties by revealing details,” it said successful a connection quoted by Al Jazeera Arabic.

Atas said, “Iranians are saying that, astatine this stage, they’re not negotiating their atomic programme; it’s lone astir ending the warfare connected each fronts.”

He added that Tehran wants nonstop guarantees from the UN Security Council, a lifting of sanctions and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

“If that is achieved, successful a 2nd phase, they’re acceptable to sermon their atomic programme.”

Al Jazeera’s Almigdad Alruhaid reported from Tehran connected Tuesday that Iran has acceptable “a precise steadfast reddish line” connected the atomic file. “The atomic enrichment programme is non-negotiable,” helium said.

According to erstwhile US Assistant Secretary of State Mark Kimmitt, Trump’s reported request that Iran halt each uranium enrichment is unrealistic and improbable to beryllium accepted by Tehran.

“If determination is thing the Iranians are going to importune upon successful these negotiations, it is their close to enrich uranium to the 3.67 percent level, which is allowed nether atomic non-proliferation treaties,” helium told Al Jazeera.

Kimmitt added that adjacent the 2015 atomic woody permitted Iran to proceed enrichment. Iran boosted its enrichment up to 60 percent aft Trump withdrew from the woody successful 2018, during his archetypal term.

However, Kimmitt postulated that Trump mightiness privation Iran’s existing stockpile of enriched uranium extracurricular of Iran. He added that Iran mightiness either hold to determination the enriched uranium extracurricular the state oregon dilute it down to a non-enriched state.

Alruhaid, the Al Jazeera correspondent, however, said Iran is resisting handing implicit its existing stockpile of enriched uranium.

Iran is believed to person astir 440kg (970lb) of uranium enriched to 60 percent. A 90 percent threshold of enriched uranium is needed to nutrient a atomic weapon.

Al Jazeera’s Alruhaid said “the sovereignty connected the Strait of Hormuz is becoming 1 of the main issues connected the negotiating table.

“We are seeing the Iranians are tightening their control. They are mounting caller protocol, caller mechanics for controlling that strategical chokepoint for each vas that is to walk through.”

The US allies successful the Gulf, who faced the brunt of Iranian retaliatory strikes, person been pushing for the restoration of navigation successful the strait without immoderate conditions. Iran carried retired attacks connected the Gulf nations, chiefly targeting US subject assets, aft the US and Israel launched attacks connected it connected February 28.

Trump has repeatedly played up the imaginable of an statement that would extremity the war, truthful acold without success. The 2 sides stay astatine likelihood implicit a assortment of hard issues, specified arsenic Iran’s atomic ambitions and its power of the Strait of Hormuz.

A Pakistani root and different root briefed connected the mediation told Reuters that an statement was adjacent connected a one-page memorandum that would formally extremity the conflict, the bureau reported connected Thursday.

This statement would footwear disconnected discussions to unblock shipping done the strait, assistance US sanctions connected Iran and acceptable curbs connected Iran’s atomic programme, the sources said.

Al Jazeera, however, could not corroborate the veracity of the reports.