Despite the clear statements of the American president earlier today that their goal is his, the Iranian side confirms that there is at least behind-the-scenes diplomatic movement for his termination, as well as mediated discussions between the two sides.
“Irrational” US demands
More specifically, according to the representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran, Esmail Bakaei, Tehran has received messages through intermediaries that indicate the willingness of the US for negotiations, despite the fact that, as he emphasized, the American proposals are “unrealistic, irrational and excessive”.
“Our position is clear. We accept military aggression. All our efforts and strength are focused on defending ourselves,” Bakaei added, reiterating that Iran had no direct contact with the US, according to the Tasnim news agency.
“What was discussed were messages that we received through intermediaries that the US wants to negotiate. Iran has had a clear position from the start and knows very well the framework it is considering. The information conveyed to us included excessive and unreasonable requests,” he noted.
The US and Israel will lose the war
Along with the above, Iran’s military announced that the Islamic Republic is the one that will determine how and when the war will end, clarifying that the country has never started a war, but will respond decisively to the aggression it receives.
According to the Iranian military spokesman, “Trump’s warmongering and miscalculations have caused massive protests in the US and worldwide.”
As he noted: “Although it is Trump who launched the attack against Iran together with the Zionist regime, he surely knows that he will lose this war against the heroic people and armed forces of Iran.”
New post from Trump on the subject of threats
With a post of his, Trump intervenes in the issue and the statements of the Iranians, almost copying their phraseology to reverse it. More specifically, as he reported to Truth Social, the United States is in “serious discussions” with a “new and more reasonable regime” to end the war in Iran, alongside Israel.
As he wrote: “We’ve made a lot of progress, but if for whatever reason a deal is not reached soon – which it probably will be – and if the Straits of Hormuz are not immediately opened and functioning normally, we will complete our ‘nice stay’ in Iran by completely destroying all the power plants, oil wells and Kharg Island (and possibly all the desalination plants!) that we have so far not deliberately ‘touched’.”
According to Trump, this action would be revenge for the many American soldiers and others who he claimed had been killed by Iran during the previous regime’s 47 years of “reign of terror”.
What about contacts that have been initiated?
Meanwhile, Pakistan, seen as the main mediator between Washington and Tehran, hosted a four-way meeting with Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt on Sunday, but without any significant results, even as the conflict in the region shows no signs of abating.
In this context, both the EU and China have made it clear that they support Pakistan’s efforts to mediate between the US and Iran. More specifically, European Council President Antonio Costa said he had “good communication” with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to discuss the war in Iran and regional diplomatic initiatives.
“The EU is deeply concerned about the prolonged duration of the war and its growing global impact,” Costa added.
Good call today with the Prime Minister of Pakistan Sharif to hear his assessment on the Iran war, as well as the outcome of the recent consultations between the Foreign Ministers of Egypt, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Türkiye held in Islamabad.
The EU…
— Antônio Costa (@eucopresident)
In addition, as it became known, the foreign minister of Pakistan, Ishaq Dar, will travel to China tomorrow for talks with his Chinese counterpart.
China has already publicly supported the initiative, and after the talks ended yesterday in Islamabad, Dar reiterated that China fully supports Pakistan’s initiative to host talks between the US and Iran.
Last week, the US presented Iran with a 15-point ceasefire proposal, which included reopening the Strait of Hormuz and curbs on Tehran’s nuclear program.
Iran has rejected the plan and proposed alternatives, stressing that it wants an end to Israeli attacks on its allies in the region – something Israel is unlikely to accept.
