White House says Trump will hit Iran harder if Tehran doesn’t accept defeat; Pakistan forwarded the American proposal
A view of Enghelab Square in central Tehran. Photo: AFP
WASHINGTON/TEHRAN:
Iran has rejected US President Donald Trump’s 15-point plan to end the war, according to state broadcaster Press TV.
He cites an unknown “senior political and security official” who sets five of the conditions imposed by Tehran to end the conflict, including payment of reparations for damage.
As the joint US-Israeli war against Iran enters its fourth week, several countries such as Pakistan, Turkey and Egypt have attempted to play a mediating role.
Iran is still considering a U.S. proposal to end the war, despite an initial negative response, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Wednesday, indicating that Tehran had so far not gone so far as to reject it outright.
Pakistan has submitted a US proposal to Iran, and Pakistan or Turkey could be venues for talks aimed at de-escalating the Gulf war, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Wednesday.
The remarks, made by an official speaking on condition of anonymity, were among rare signs that Tehran is willing to consider diplomatic proposals, even though it has publicly denied it would negotiate with the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.
However, later in the day it emerged that Tehran had “responded negatively” to the US proposal and outlined five conditions under which Tehran would agree to end the ongoing conflict.
The Iranian source who spoke to Reuters did not reveal details of the proposal forwarded by Pakistan, nor whether it was identical to a 15-point U.S. proposal reported by media. The source said that “either Turkey or Pakistan were under consideration as a venue for such talks.”
A source close to the matter confirmed to Reuters on Tuesday that the plan had been sent to Iran.
In Washington, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said President Donald Trump would hit Iran harder if Tehran did not accept that the country had been “defeated militarily.”
“President Trump is not bluffing and he is ready to raise hell. Iran should not screw up again,” Leavitt told reporters at a press briefing.
“If Iran does not accept the reality of the current moment, if it does not understand that it has been defeated militarily and will continue to be defeated, President Trump will ensure that it is hit harder than it has ever been before,” she said.
Talks with Iran are still ongoing, Leavitt said. “The talks are continuing. They are productive, as the president said on Monday, and they continue to be,” she added.
Citing unnamed sources, media reported Tuesday that Washington had sent Tehran a 15-point plan to end the war. Leavitt said Wednesday that some elements of the reports were not entirely accurate, but she did not provide details.
“The White House has never confirmed this full plan. It has elements of truth, but some of the stories I read were not entirely factual, so I’m not going to negotiate on behalf of the president here at the podium,” Leavitt said.
Global stock markets regained some ground while oil prices fell on Wednesday after reports of the plan, with investors hoping for an end to a war that has disrupted global energy supplies and heightened inflation concerns.
According to Reuters, three Israeli cabinet sources said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet had been briefed on the proposal, which they said includes withdrawing Iran’s stockpiles of highly enriched uranium, stopping enrichment, scaling back its ballistic missile program and ending funding for regional allies.
Meanwhile, Iran’s ambassador to Pakistan said there had been no discussions between Washington and Tehran.
“We have also heard such details through the media, but according to my information – and contrary to Trump’s claims – so far no negotiations, direct or indirect, have taken place between the two countries,” Ambassador Reza Amiri Moghadam said, adding that it was “natural that friendly countries are still engaged in consultations with both parties to put an end to this illegitimate aggression.”
(With additional input from News Desk)
