White House says Trump will hit Iran harder if Tehran does not accept defeat; Pakistan has conveyed the US proposal.
A view of Enghelab Square in central Tehran. Photo: AFP
WASHINGTON/TEHRAN:
Iran has rejected US President Donald Trump’s 15-point plan to end the war, according to state television Press TV.
It cited an unknown “senior political security official” who laid out five of Tehran’s own conditions for ending the conflict, including paying reparations for damage.
As the joint US-Israeli war against Iran entered its fourth week, several countries, including Pakistan, Turkey and Egypt, have made efforts to mediate.
Iran is still reviewing a US proposal to end the war, despite an initial response that was negative, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Wednesday, indicating that Tehran had so far stopped short of rejecting it outright.
Pakistan handed over a US proposal to Iran, and Pakistan or Turkiye could be sites of discussion to de-escalate the Gulf war, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Wednesday.
The comments, from an official who spoke on condition of anonymity, were one of the few signs that Tehran was willing to consider diplomatic overtures, despite having publicly denied that it would negotiate with U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration.
However, later that same day, it emerged that Tehran had “responded negatively” to the US proposal and outlined five conditions under which Tehran would agree to end the ongoing conflict.
The Iranian source who spoke to Reuters did not reveal details of the proposal approved by Pakistan, or whether it was the same as a 15-point US proposal that has been reported by the media. The source said “Turkiye or Pakistan were being considered as venues for such talks.”
A source familiar with the matter confirmed to Reuters on Tuesday that the plan had been sent to Iran.
In Washington, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said President Donald Trump will hit Iran harder if Tehran does not accept that the country has been “defeated militarily.”
“President Trump is not blustering and is prepared to unleash hell. Iran should not make miscalculations again,” Leavitt told reporters at a news conference.
“If Iran does not accept the reality of the current moment, if it does not understand that it has been defeated militarily and will continue to be defeated, President Trump will ensure that it is hit harder than ever before,” he said.
Talks with Iran were still ongoing, Leavitt said. “The talks continue. They are productive, as the president said on Monday, and they continue to be so,” he added.
Citing anonymous sources, media outlets reported Tuesday that Washington sent Tehran a 15-point plan to end the war. Leavitt said Wednesday that some elements of the reports were not entirely accurate, but did not provide details.
“The White House never confirmed that full plan. There are elements of truth in it, but some of the stories I read were not completely factual, so I’m not going to negotiate on behalf of the president here at the podium,” Leavitt said.
Global stock markets regained some ground as oil prices fell on Wednesday after reports of the plan, and investors hoped for an end to a war that has disrupted global energy supplies and raised concerns about inflation.
According to Reuters, three Israeli cabinet sources said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet had been briefed on the proposal, which they said includes eliminating Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium, halting enrichment, curbing its ballistic missile program and ending funding to regional allies.
Separately, Iran’s ambassador to Pakistan said there had been no talks between Washington or Tehran.
“We have also heard these details through the media, but according to my information – and contrary to Trump’s claims – so far there have been no negotiations, direct or indirect, between the two countries,” said Ambassador Reza Amiri Moghadam, adding that it was “natural that friendly countries are always in consultation with both sides to put an end to this illegitimate aggression.”
(With additional contributions from News Desk)
