Iran has not formally responded to the latest United States proposal to end the war, but its public signals suggest a wide gap remains between Tehran and Washington even as both sides say the fragile ceasefire has not collapsed.
The proposal is back in focus after U.S. and Iranian forces exchanged fire around the Strait of Hormuz, the critical waterway at the center of both the military standoff and the diplomacy. The fighting has added pressure to negotiations that already turn on some of the hardest issues between the two countries: Iran’s nuclear program, U.S. sanctions, frozen Iranian assets and security guarantees against future attacks.
A proposal with nuclear limits at its core
The latest U.S. plan, described in media reports cited by Al Jazeera, is a 14-point document that would require Iran to agree not to develop a nuclear weapon and to halt all uranium enrichment for at least 12 years. It would also require Tehran to hand over an estimated 440kg, or 970lb, of uranium enriched to 60 percent.
In exchange, Washington would gradually lift sanctions, release billions of dollars in frozen Iranian assets and withdraw its naval blockade of Iranian ports. The plan also envisions both sides reopening the Strait of Hormuz within 30 days of signing.
Those terms go to the heart of Iran’s public objections. Tehran has long insisted on retaining a right to enrich uranium under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. Under the 2015 nuclear deal, Iran was allowed to enrich uranium to 3.67 percent for a civilian nuclear program. The new U.S. demand, as described in the reporting, would take enrichment to zero for a lengthy period.
Iran says it is still reviewing the offer
Iranian officials have not issued a formal answer. An Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson said the proposal was still under review, according to Al Jazeera reporting from Tehran. Reports that a response was expected through Pakistani mediators have not been confirmed.
The public reaction from senior Iranian figures has been skeptical. Ebrahim Rezaei, a member of parliament and spokesperson for its foreign policy and national security committee, called the text “more of an American wish-list than a reality.” Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf mocked reports that the two sides were close to a deal, writing in English on social media: “Operation Trust Me Bro failed.”
The diplomatic channel has not closed, however. Al Jazeera’s Resul Serdar Atas reported from Tehran that mediation efforts appear to be continuing despite the military confrontation, while Iranian officials describe several U.S. demands as unreasonable, unrealistic and maximalist.
Hormuz clashes have not ended the ceasefire
The latest military exchange has underscored how unstable the truce remains. Iran’s military said U.S. forces targeted an Iranian oil tanker in coastal waters and another vessel near the United Arab Emirates port of Fujairah, and said U.S. air strikes hit civilian areas in southern Iran. The U.S. said its naval forces came under Iranian missile, drone and fast-boat attacks in the Strait of Hormuz and responded by eliminating inbound threats and striking Iranian military facilities involved in attacks on U.S. forces.
Neither side has announced that the ceasefire is over. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said earlier this week that “the ceasefire is not over,” arguing that Washington’s effort to escort commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz is separate from the broader conflict over Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Dan Caine said Iranian attacks since the ceasefire was announced remained below the threshold for restarting major combat operations.
Hegseth has described the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports in sweeping terms, saying the United States had created a “powerful red, white, and blue dome” and that Iran no longer controls the Strait of Hormuz. Those comments underline why the waterway remains a central bargaining point, not just a military flashpoint.
Several proposals, few settled issues
The latest U.S. plan follows a series of proposals and counterproposals. Iran submitted its own 14-point proposal through Pakistan last week, after a Washington-backed nine-point plan that focused mainly on a two-month ceasefire. Tehran’s proposal sought to move beyond extending the truce and resolve all issues within 30 days.
Iran has also demanded guarantees against future attacks, the withdrawal of U.S. forces from around Iran, the lifting of sanctions, the release of frozen assets, war reparations, an end to hostilities including in Lebanon, and a new mechanism for the Strait of Hormuz. An earlier Iranian 10-point plan, submitted just before the ceasefire took effect, called for safe passage through Hormuz, sanctions relief and reconstruction. President Donald Trump called that proposal significant but “not good enough.”
The biggest unresolved question is whether either side is prepared to compromise on the nuclear file. Analyst Negar Mortazavi told Al Jazeera that Tehran might show more flexibility after the conflict ends, but is unlikely to hand enriched uranium directly to the United States. Ali Vaez of the International Crisis Group said both sides may need either painful concessions or deliberately vague language to reach a framework. Chris Featherstone of the University of York said Iran has shown little appetite for major concessions, in part because it does not trust the Trump administration to keep its commitments.
For now, Iran’s formal answer remains the next pressure point. A response that accepts negotiations on enrichment, sanctions relief and security guarantees could keep diplomacy moving; a rejection of the central U.S. demands would leave the ceasefire resting on a narrowing margin of restraint in the Strait of Hormuz.
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