This Tuesday, the Iranian government rejected the possibility of changing its proposals for a lasting end to the war, which US President Donald Trump considered useless, thus maintaining the diplomatic impasse in the Middle East.
“There is no alternative but to accept the rights of the Iranian people, as set out in the 14-point proposal. Any other approach would be fruitless”, stressed the Islamic Republic’s main negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, on the social network X, more than a month after the establishment of a precarious truce.
The President of Parliament also challenged the North American negotiators, stating that “The longer they delay, the more American taxpayers will pay”at a time when oil prices remain at persistently high levels.
Ghalibaf’s statements sound like a response to Donald Trumpwho the previous day had rejected Iranian proposals and compared the ceasefire in force since April 8 to a patient “in critical condition”, reported the agency France-Presse (AFP).
The content of the initial North American proposal was not disclosed, but according to some media, the document contains a memorandum of understanding fora put an end to the fightingwhich have caused thousands of deaths since the start of the war on February 28, and to establish a framework for negotiations on the Iranian nuclear issue.
In its response, Iran demands the immediate end to hostilities in the regionincluding in Lebanon, where Israeli and pro-Iranian Hezbollah attacks continue despite yet another ceasefire.
Tehran also demands the lifting of the North American naval blockade to its ports and the unlocking Iranian assets detained abroad, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
On the North American side, Donald Trump threatened to resume his operation to prevent ships from passing through the Strait of Hormuz, which is blocked by Iran.
The near paralysis of the Strait of Hormuz, strategic for global hydrocarbon trade, boosted oil prices again this Tuesday, which reached almost US$108 per barrel of Brent oil at around 8pm (Lisbon time).
