By Gloria Ogbonna
Sources in Pakistan told several Western media outlets on Wednesday that Iran is currently reviewing a one-page, 14-point proposal aimed at formally ending the ongoing conflict between the United States and Iran.
According to reports, the proposed memorandum could serve as the framework for a broader peace agreement between the two countries after months of escalating military tensions and economic pressure. The proposal is said to outline the initial terms for de-escalation while also creating a pathway for future negotiations on several major issues dividing Washington and Tehran.
Reuters reported that the document would pave the way for discussions on reopening shipping lanes through the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, easing or lifting U.S. sanctions on Iran, and establishing new restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program. The proposal reportedly includes a 30-day timeline for those follow-up negotiations to begin.
The reported agreement appears to signal a shift in the Trump administration’s negotiating strategy. Reuters noted that the proposal did not include some of Washington’s previous demands, including restrictions on Iran’s ballistic missile program and requirements that Tehran end its support for proxy militias operating across the Middle East.
The memorandum also reportedly does not address Iran’s missing stockpile of approximately 900 pounds of near-weapons-grade uranium — a key issue the administration had previously insisted must be resolved before any final agreement could be reached.
One Pakistani source familiar with the discussions expressed optimism about the ongoing talks, suggesting that negotiators may be nearing a breakthrough.
“We are close,” the source reportedly said. “We will close this very soon.”
Iranian officials, however, responded with more caution. A spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry confirmed that Tehran had received the proposal and said Iran would soon send its official response back to the United States through Pakistani intermediaries.
Meanwhile, some Iranian lawmakers publicly criticized the proposal as insufficient.
Ebrahim Rezaei, spokesperson for the Iranian parliament’s national security committee, dismissed the document as “more of an American wish list than a reality.” He suggested Iran would reject the proposal unless Washington agreed to make additional concessions.
“The Americans will not gain anything in a war they are losing that they have not gained in face-to-face negotiations,” Rezaei said.
He further warned that Iran remained prepared for military escalation if negotiations failed.
“Iran has its finger on the trigger and is ready,” he said, adding that the United States must “grant the necessary concessions.”
News of the potential agreement had an immediate impact on global markets. Reports of progress in negotiations caused oil prices to fall by roughly 15 percent amid hopes that tensions in the Persian Gulf could ease and shipping through the Strait of Hormuz might return to normal.
However, prices later climbed again by nearly eight percent after President Donald Trump cautioned that it was still “too soon” to discuss a finalized peace agreement. Despite the temporary drop, oil prices remain approximately 60 percent higher than they were before the launch of Operation Epic Fury.
Trump addressed the developing negotiations during an interview with the New York Post on Wednesday morning. When asked whether the newspaper should send a reporter to Pakistan to cover a possible new round of direct talks between the United States and Iran, Trump appeared skeptical.
“I don’t think so,” the president replied.
Still, Trump sounded more optimistic earlier in the day in a post published on his Truth Social platform.
“Assuming Iran agrees to give what has been agreed to, which is, perhaps, a big assumption, the already legendary Epic Fury will be at an end, and the highly effective Blockade will allow the Hormuz Strait to be OPEN TO ALL, including Iran,” Trump wrote.
The president also issued a stark warning about the consequences if diplomacy collapses.
“If they don’t agree, the bombing starts, and it will be, sadly, at a much higher level and intensity than it was before,” he added.
Trump later repeated similar comments during a phone interview with PBS, where he again downplayed the possibility of immediately dispatching American envoys to Pakistan for another round of direct negotiations.
The president acknowledged that talks appeared to be moving in a positive direction but warned that previous optimism with Iran had not always produced results.
“I think it’s got a very good chance of ending,” Trump said. “And if it doesn’t end, we have to go back to bombing the hell out of them.”
Trump also suggested that either a peace agreement — or renewed military action — could occur before his planned visit to China next week, adding further urgency to the ongoing negotiations.
Source Breitbart
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