Iran says US negotiating with itself as Trump admin sends 15-point peace plan
The Trump administration announced a new 15-point plan to end the war with Iran. However, Iranian officials said the White House was negotiating with itself.
President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he, Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other senior officials were in negotiations with Iran. However, a spokesperson for Iran’s military appeared on state-run TV on Wednesday, indicating that Iran is not taking part in the talks.
“Has the level of your internal conflicts reached the point where you are negotiating with yourselves?” Ebrahim Zolfaqari said.
Despite Trump’s assertions, Tehran has not confirmed any talks and has only said that messages have been passed via intermediaries.
Pakistani officials told the Associated Press that Iran has received a U.S. ceasefire proposal that lays out a 15-point framework to end the conflict. They said the plan touches on sanctions relief, limits on Iran’s nuclear and missile programs, international inspections and access through the Strait of Hormuz, though key details have not been made public.
Iran’s demands
Iran has laid out some demands of its own, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The Journal reported that sources familiar with the matter said the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has demanded the closure of all American bases in the Gulf and reparations for attacks on Iran.
It reportedly wants to charge fees for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, much as Egypt does with the Suez Canal. Iran also wants all sanctions lifted and to be allowed to keep its missile program without any limits.
On top of those demands, the Journal said Iran asked for guarantees that the war would not start again and for Israel to stop strikes against the Iran-backed militia Hezbollah in Lebanon.
A U.S. official told the Journal Iran’s demands were “ridiculous and unrealistic.”
Fighting continues
Meanwhile, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said American forces have destroyed more than 9,000 military targets inside Iran since the war began.
Israel’s military said it launched a new round of strikes targeting infrastructure across Iran overnight Tuesday into Wednesday.
Twenty civilians were killed in U.S. and Israeli strikes on a residential area of the historic Iranian city Shiraz on Wednesday, according to the semi-official agency Mehr News. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) also said it hit two “key naval cruise missile production sites” in Tehran.
The IDF also said Wednesday it struck a series of Hezbollah targets across Lebanon, including a command center and other infrastructure.
Iranian missiles were intercepted over parts of Israel and the Israeli-occupied West Bank late Tuesday and early Wednesday.
Officials in Kuwait said drones hit a fuel tank at the international airport early Wednesday, sparking a fire. No injuries were reported.
Saudi Arabian officials said a missile was intercepted over the country’s Eastern Province on Wednesday. And Iraq’s Ministry of Defense said a base in Anbar province was struck, killing seven fighters.
Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
