(Dave DeCamp, Antiwar.com) Iran’s PressTV reported on Wednesday that Tehran has rejected the Trump administration’s 15-point proposal to end the war the United States and Israel launched on February 28 and laid out its own conditions to end the conflict.
“Iran will end the war when it decides to do so and when its own conditions are met,” an unnamed Iranian official told PressTV. The official added that the US proposal includes demands that are “excessive” considering the situation on the battlefield.
The official pointed to the fact that Iran has been attacked twice during previous negotiations with the US, suggesting the current US push for diplomacy could be a deception. Publicly, Iranian officials have denied President Trump’s claims that the US and Iran have held negotiations and have said they don’t seek a ceasefire.
The official speaking to PressTV said Iran laid out five conditions to end the war, which include:
- A complete halt to “aggression and assassinations” by the enemy.
- The establishment of concrete mechanisms to ensure that the war is not reimposed on the Islamic Republic.
- Guaranteed and clearly defined payment of war damages and reparations.
- The end of the war across all fronts and for all resistance groups involved throughout the region (which includes an end to Israel’s attack on Lebanon)
- Iran’s exercise of sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz is and will remain Iran’s natural and legal right, and it constitutes a guarantee for the implementation of the other party’s commitments, and must be recognized.
According to a report from Axios, Iran had told mediating countries that it suspected the US proposal was a ruse since it came as the US was surging more troops to the region and planning for potential ground operations in Iran. A US official told Axios reporter Barak Ravid that the US hasn’t received a formal response to the proposal through the mediators.
Reuters reported that Iran was still reviewing the proposal despite the public rejection, but there are still no signs that Iranian officials are taking the prospect of negotiations with the US seriously. In the meantime, US-Israeli strikes have continued to pound targets across Iran, and the Iranian military continues to launch drone and missile attacks across the region.
This article originally appeared at Antiwar.com.
