Iran’s latest peace proposal to the United States includes ending hostilities across the region, withdrawing U.S. forces from areas near Iran and compensation for damage caused during the U.S.-Israeli war, Iranian state media reported on Tuesday.
Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said Tehran was also seeking the removal of sanctions, the release of frozen Iranian assets and an end to what it described as a U.S. naval blockade, reports the IRNA news agency.
The proposal appeared largely unchanged from an earlier Iranian offer rejected last week by U.S. President Donald Trump, who called it “garbage”.
Trump said on Monday he had paused a planned resumption of attacks on Iran after receiving a new proposal from Tehran and said there was now a “very good chance” of reaching an agreement to limit Iran’s nuclear programme.
It could not be independently verified if preparations had been made for renewed strikes following the ceasefire that halted fighting in early April. Under pressure to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for global oil shipments, Trump has repeatedly expressed optimism about securing a deal while warning Tehran of severe military action if negotiations fail.
In a social media post, Trump said the leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates had urged him to delay further attacks because a deal acceptable to the United States and the wider Middle East could still be achieved.
Speaking to reporters later, Trump said Washington’s main objective was preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.“There seems to be a very good chance that they can work something out. If we can do that without bombing the hell out of them, I would be very happy,” he said.
A Pakistani source confirmed that Pakistan, which hosted the only round of peace talks last month, had conveyed the Iranian proposal to Washington.
A senior Iranian official said on Monday that the United States appeared to be softening some of its demands during negotiations stalled for several weeks.
According to the source, Washington had agreed to release about a quarter of Iran’s frozen overseas assets, worth tens of billions of dollars, although Tehran is demanding full access to the funds.
The source also said the United States had shown greater flexibility over allowing Iran to continue limited peaceful nuclear activities under supervision by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Washington has not publicly confirmed any concessions in the negotiations.A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, denied a report by Tasnim news agency that Washington had agreed to suspend oil sanctions on Iran during talks.
The U.S.-Israeli bombing campaign killed thousands in Iran before a ceasefire took effect in April. Israeli operations in Lebanon against the Iran-backed Hezbollah have also killed thousands and displaced hundreds of thousands, while Iranian strikes on Israel and Gulf states killed dozens.
The ceasefire has largely held despite recent drone launches from Iraq toward Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, which regional sources attributed to Iran and allied groups.
Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have said the war aimed to curb Iran’s regional influence, dismantle its nuclear programme and missile capabilities, and weaken the country’s clerical leadership.
Despite the conflict, Iran retains stockpiles of highly enriched uranium as well as missile, drone and proxy militia capabilities, while its leadership has remained in power despite domestic unrest earlier this year.