TEHRAN – Iran said on May 18 it had responded to a new US proposal aimed at ending the war, adding that exchanges were continuing despite Iranian media reports describing Washington’s demands as excessive.
Washington and Tehran have been swopping proposals in an effort to end the conflict that broke out on Feb 28. The two sides have held a single round of talks so far amid a fragile ceasefire in place since April 8.
“As we announced yesterday, our concerns were conveyed to the American side,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said during a news briefing, adding that exchanges were “continuing through the Pakistani mediator”, without providing details.
Mr Baqaei defended Iran’s demands, including the release of Iranian assets frozen abroad and the lifting of longstanding sanctions.
“The points raised are Iranian demands that have been firmly defended by the Iranian negotiating team in every round of negotiations,” he said.
He also defended an Iranian stipulation that the US pay war reparations, describing the conflict as “illegal and baseless”.
On the possibility of another military confrontation, Mr Baqaei said Iran was “fully prepared for any eventuality”.
On May 17, Iran’s Fars news agency said Washington presented a five-point list that included a demand for Iran to keep only one nuclear site in operation and transfer its stockpile of highly enriched uranium to the United States.
The US refused to release “even 25 per cent” of Iran’s frozen assets or pay any reparations for war damage, according to Fars.
The report said the US had also made clear it would only cease hostilities when Tehran engages in formal peace negotiations.
Iran’s Mehr news agency said “the United States, offering no tangible concessions, wants to obtain concessions that it failed to obtain during the war, which will lead to an impasse in the negotiations”.
It described the US conditions as “excessive”.
In an earlier proposal, which was sent last week, Iran called for an end to the war on all fronts, including Israel’s campaign in Lebanon, as well as a halt to a US naval blockade on Iranian ports in place since April 13.
It also called for the lifting of all US sanctions on Iran and the release of its assets frozen abroad.
Fars said the Iranian proposal emphasised that Tehran would continue to manage the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a vital energy conduit which Iran has largely kept closed since the start of the war. AFP
