Iran sends response to US proposal to end war via mediator Pakistan

Iran has submitted a response to the latest United States proposal to end the war via mediator Pakistan as a fragile truce comes under growing strain.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei told a press briefing on Monday that Tehran’s response to the latest US proposal had been “conveyed to the American side through mediator Pakistan”, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported

Washington and Tehran have exchanged several proposals over recent weeks amid a ceasefire that mostly halted six weeks of fighting, but the talks mediated by Pakistan have stalled and US ⁠President Donald Trump has said the ceasefire is “on life support”.

Baghaei said Iran’s demands include the release of Iranian assets frozen abroad and the lifting of sanctions.

“The points raised are Iranian demands that have been firmly defended by the Iranian negotiating team in every round of negotiations,” he said.

Iran has demanded compensation for war damage, an end to a US blockade of Iranian ports and a halt to fighting on all fronts, including in Lebanon, where Israel has launched an invasion and continues daily bombardment.

Washington has urged Tehran to dismantle its nuclear programme and lift an effective blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, which prior to the war carried one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas ‌supply.

Trump said in a post on Truth Social at the weekend that “the Clock is Ticking” for Iran, adding that “they better get moving, FAST, or there won’t be anything left of them. TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!”

Talks stall

Iranian news agency Fars reported on Sunday that Washington had presented a five-point list, which made it clear the US would only cease hostilities when Tehran engages in formal peace negotiations. It also included a demand for Iran to keep only one nuclear site in operation and transfer its stockpile of highly enriched uranium to the US.

In an earlier proposal, which was sent last week, Iran had called for an end to the war on all fronts, including Israel’s campaign in Lebanon, as well as a halt to a US naval blockade on Iranian ports in place since April 13.

Fars said the Iranian proposal emphasised that Tehran would continue to manage the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a vital energy conduit which Iran has largely kept closed since the start of the war.

Fars also reported that the US has refused to release “even 25 percent” of Iran’s frozen assets or pay any reparations for war damages.

Meanwhile, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Monday that he will call on G7 finance ministers to follow the US sanctions regime to keep financing away from what he described as Iran’s “war machine”.