The Trump administration has offered a 15-point ceasefire plan to Iran as the U.S. appears to seek an end to the war even while more troops head to the Middle East.
The plan was submitted to Iran by intermediaries from the government of Pakistan, which has offered to host renewed negotiations between Washington and Tehran, a person briefed on the plan's contours but who was not authorized to speak publicly told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
The U.S. military is preparing to deploy at least 1,000 troops from the 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East in the coming days, according to three people with knowledge of the move who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military plans.
Any talks between the U.S. and Iran would face monumental challenges. Many of Washington’s shifting objectives, particularly over Iran’s ballistic missile and nuclear programs, remain difficult to achieve, and it is not clear who in Iran’s government has the authority or would be willing to negotiate.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi’s office said he has been discussing the war this week with several counterparts, but Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, the speaker of Iran’s Parliament, denied Trump’s claim of direct talks and an Iranian military spokesperson declared that the fighting would go on.
Alluding to progress in talks, U.S. President Donald Trump claimed Iran shared an oil- and gas-related “present,” a day after telling reporters that the Middle Eastern nation is eager for a deal to end the war.
Here is the latest:
Thai ship passes through Strait of Hormuz
Thailand Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow said a Thai ship passed through the Strait of Hormuz following discussions with Iranian authorities.
He said Tuesday that Thailand requested passage through the strait for the ship from energy conglomerate Bangchak Corporation and a second ship from major petrochemical company SCG Chemicals.
Thailand was informed Monday that the Bangchak ship had successfully navigated the strait and is en route, he said, while the second vessel awaits safe passage.
Bangchak’s website says the ship is a crude oil tanker expected to arrive in Thailand in early April.
Oil falls and Asian shares gain
Oil prices fell more than 3% and Asian shares gained Wednesday following reports of a 15-point ceasefire plan offered to Iran by the Trump administration.
Brent crude, the international standard, fell 3.6% to $96.58 per barrel. It was above $104 on Tuesday. Benchmark U.S. crude was down 3.4% to $89.26 a barrel.
Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 was up 2.9% to 53,761.51. South Korea’s Kospi gained 1.7% to 5,647.77.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia discuss Iran war
Saudi Arabia’s powerful Prince Mohammed, the day-to-day ruler of the kingdom, has spoken by phone to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif about the Iran war and Islamabad’s efforts at supporting ceasefire talks.
Sharif said Islamabad “would always stand by the kingdom and the brotherly people of Saudi Arabia, just as they had always supported Pakistan, through thick and thin.”
The state-run Saudi Press Agency said they discussed “the repercussions of the ongoing military escalation on the security and stability of the region and the world.”
Nuclear-armed Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have a mutual defense agreement.
Iranian military spokesperson mocks US attempts at ceasefire deal
An Iranian military spokesperson mocked U.S. attempts at a ceasefire deal Wednesday, insisting that the Americans were only negotiating with themselves.
Lt. Col. Ebrahim Zolfaghari, a spokesperson for the Iranian military’s Khatam Al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, made the statement in a prerecorded video aired on state television.
“The strategic power you used to talk about has turned into a strategic failure,” he said. “The one claiming to be a global superpower would have already gotten out of this mess if it could. Don’t dress up your defeat as an agreement. Your era of empty promises has come to an end.”
He added: “Have your internal conflicts reached the point where you are negotiating with yourselves?”
Zolfaghari’s statement came shortly after the Trump administration sent a 15-point ceasefire plan to Iran through Pakistan.
“Our first and last word has been the same from day one, and it will stay that way: Someone like us will never come to terms with someone like you,” he said. “Not now, not ever.”
“Stability in the region is guaranteed by the strong hand of our armed forces. Stability through strength,” Zolfaghari said.
“We state this clearly: Until it is our will, nothing will go back to the way it was. That will only come about when the very thought of acting against the Iranian nation is completely wiped from your corrupt minds.”
Trump administration offers 15-point ceasefire plan to Iran
The Trump administration has offered a 15-point ceasefire plan to Iran, according to a person briefed on the contours of the plan but who was not authorized to speak publicly about it.
The ceasefire plan was submitted to Iran by intermediaries from Pakistan, who have offered to host renewed negotiations between Washington and Tehran.
The proposal comes as the U.S. military is preparing to send at least 1,000 more troops from the 82nd Airborne Division to supplement some 50,000 troops already in the region.
The New York Times reported earlier Tuesday that the 15-point plan had been delivered to Iranian officials.
The Pentagon is also in the process of deploying a pair of Marine Expeditionary Units that will add about 5,000 Marines and thousands of sailors to the region.
Israeli officials, who have been advocating for Trump to continue the war against Iran, were taken by surprise by the U.S. administration’s submission of a ceasefire plan, the person said.
But with the U.S. taking steps to send additional soldiers and Marines to the Mideast, the move is being framed as Trump maneuvering to give himself “max flexibility” on what he will do next, the person added.
The White House did not respond to requests for comment.
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