Iran is reviewing a proposed agreement with the US to halt their war but has not communicated with Washington for a few days, Iranian media reported on Tuesday, after US president Donald Trump said negotiations were continuing.
More than three months after the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran, the conflict is stuck in a stalemate, with a shaky ceasefire in place while the pivotal Strait of Hormuz remains largely shut to maritime traffic.
Iran has not yet responded to a proposed final text of a temporary deal, and was taking a “stern” approach given what it sees as a history of US noncompliance and long-standing mistrust, Mehr News Agency cited a source as saying.
The semi-official Fars agency, also citing a source, added that messages on the possible deal, or memorandum of understanding, had stopped a few days ago, with the last one being Tehran’s “clear message” over Lebanon, where Iran is seeking a stop to Israel’s incursion against its ally Hizbullah.
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Trump said on Monday that negotiations were continuing and there would be a deal over the next week to extend a ceasefire agreed in early April and reopen the strait.
Since mid-March, he has repeatedly said he is close to a deal, which would postpone thorny issues including the future of Iran’s nuclear programme. A ceasefire has largely held since early April, but Iran and the US have exchanged strikes several times over the past week.
US secretary of state Marco Rubio told lawmakers on Tuesday that Iran had agreed to negotiate aspects of its nuclear programme that it previously refused to discuss, but added that was not a guarantee that negotiations would lead to a deal.
Rubio said the first condition in the talks was that Iran opened the Strait of Hormuz, and it also had to commit to negotiations on its stock of highly enriched uranium.
Trump has said stopping Iran acquiring nuclear weapons was his top priority. Iran has always denied wanting to build a nuclear bomb, saying its atomic programme is for peaceful purposes only.
The war that began on February 28th has killed thousands of people, mainly in Iran and Lebanon. It has pushed up energy prices since Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, which previously carried about a fifth of global supplies of oil and liquefied natural gas.
It also triggered the latest round of conflict between Israel and Lebanese militant group Hizbullah, with Israel pursuing its deepest incursion into Lebanon in 25 years.
On Tuesday, Israel kept up strikes on a string of towns in southern Lebanon, Lebanese security sources said, despite a US-mediated partial ceasefire announced on Monday.
That would entail Israel refraining from strikes on Beirut and Hizbullah-controlled southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital, while the Iran-aligned group would halt attacks on Israel.
In the wider war, Iran is pushing for a limited interim agreement as it tries to ease economic pressure while avoiding major concessions on its nuclear programme, according to Iranian sources.
Tehran is seeking an end to hostilities across all fronts including Lebanon, access to billions of dollars in oil revenues, waivers on crude exports, a lifting of a US blockade on its ports, and continued leverage over the strait.
Trump is under pressure to reopen the strait and curb US fuel prices while not making concessions to Iran. – Reuters
