Donald Trump said talks were already underway with Iranian representatives, but he did not name anyone. Tehran denied it and mocked the US. Who could be mediating?
The United States has sent Iran a 15-point plan to end the war in the Middle East, according to sources familiar with the diplomatic talks. The plan was delivered to Iranian representatives through Pakistan, but Tehran has so far denied that any talks are taking place. There is also no information on whether Israel, which is waging war with Iran alongside the United States, has supported the proposal. However, the presentation of such a plan demonstrates that the Donald Trump administration is willing to invest in diplomatic efforts to end the war.
What does this plan include?
The main issues addressed in the ceasefire proposal are Iran's nuclear program and the Islamic Republic's ballistic missiles, writes the "New York Times”. The plan also discusses sea routes, says one of the sources of the American publication. Since the beginning of the war, Iran has effectively stopped most Western ships from safely passing through the Strait of Hormuz - a strategic waterway for access to the Persian Gulf. This disrupted global oil and natural gas supplies and caused a spike in prices.
Pakistani Army Chief of Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir has become a key mediator between the United States and Iran, with Egypt and Turkey also encouraging the Iranians to participate in the talks, the "New York Times” also reported. Munir is believed to have close ties to Iran's Revolutionary Guard, which allows him to relay messages between the warring countries. He recently contacted Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of the Iranian parliament and former commander of the Revolutionary Guard, to suggest that Pakistan host talks between Iran and the United States, Iranian and Pakistani officials told the American newspaper.
Iran: We do not trust US diplomacy
Esmail Bakaeei, a spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, again rejected the US claim of talks between the two countries in a comment to the publication "India Today". "I must say that we have a disastrous experience with US diplomacy", he said, adding that Iran was attacked "twice in a span of nine months when we were in the middle of the negotiation process to resolve the nuclear issue". Baqaei said Iran could not "trust U.S. diplomacy".
Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesman for the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Command of the Iranian armed forces, which commands both the regular army and the Revolutionary Guard, mocked U.S. efforts to withdraw from the war. "Don't call your failure an agreement," Zolfaghari said. "Our first and last word has been the same since day one and will remain the same: someone like us will never make an agreement with someone like you. Not now, not ever."