Iran on Sunday confirmed it has received a U.S. response to its latest offer for a deal to permanently end the conflict, even as U.S. President Donald Trump said he was not inclined to accept Tehran’s previous proposal because “they have not paid a big enough price.”
According to Iranian state media, Washington conveyed its response to Iran’s 14-point proposal via Pakistan. It said Tehran is currently reviewing the response. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei, meanwhile, said the two sides are not yet engaged in talks on the country’s contentious nuclear enrichment program.
“I will soon be reviewing the plan that Iran has just sent to us, but can’t imagine that it would be acceptable in that they have not yet paid a big enough price for what they have done to Humanity, and the World, over the last 47 years,” Trump wrote last week on his TruthSocial account. It is unclear if this message was issued prior to, or after, the latest response to Iran.
A ceasefire between Iran and the United States has now persisted for a month but attempts to get them back on the negotiating table for a permanent end to the conflict have yet to bear fruit. Reportedly, Iran wants to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz while deferring talks on its nuclear program for a later date. By contrast, the U.S. wants to frontload the nuclear talks.
Analysts warn the window for a diplomatic breakthrough with minimal impact on the global economy are rapidly diminishing. Volatility in oil prices persists, with expectations that the hike of fuel prices in the U.S. will trigger voter backlash against Trump’s Republican Party in upcoming midterm elections. Iran, meanwhile, is facing significant economic losses, with concerns mounting of a humanitarian crisis within the country if the U.S. blockade of the Strait of Hormuz continues.