Iran has received a 15 point peace proposal from the United States aimed at ending the Middle East war, Pakistani officials have confirmed. The plan was relayed to Tehran through Pakistani intermediaries even as Iran announced it had fired a volley of cruise missiles at the US aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln.
The conflict, which began on February 28 with a joint US Israeli bombing campaign on Iran, has rapidly spread across the region. The fighting has sent oil prices soaring and raised fears that the global economy could be pushed into a new crisis.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed that talks with Iran are making progress, although Tehran continues to deny that any direct negotiations are taking place. Despite the public denials, two senior officials in Islamabad told AFP that American proposals to halt the fighting have now been formally conveyed to Iran.
Pakistan is seen as a possible mediator because of its close ties with neighbouring Iran, its long standing relationship with the United States and its links with other key regional players. However, the diplomatic moves have so far done little to slow the tempo of military operations.
Targets in Iran, Israel, Lebanon, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan and Saudi Arabia have all come under fire in recent days. Iran’s military said its cruise missiles forced the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier group to change position and warned that more powerful strikes would follow once the “hostile fleet” comes within range.
Israel, for its part, said it had struck sites in Tehran and hit a submarine development facility in the central city of Isfahan. In the Iranian capital, residents told AFP that basic services such as fuel, water and electricity remain available but described a deep sense of helplessness as the war drags on.
Israeli warplanes also continued heavy bombardment of Beirut’s southern suburbs, a stronghold of Iran backed Hezbollah. Lebanese authorities say more than 1,000 people have been killed and over a million displaced by more than three weeks of Israeli strikes since Hezbollah entered the war by firing rockets into Israel on March 2.
Diplomats in the region say messages are being passed quietly between the parties, but both sides are still trading tough public statements. A regional diplomatic source said there is some hope for a deal but warned it is too early to be optimistic, noting that each side needs a way to back down without losing face.
According to Israel’s Channel 12, Trump’s 15 point proposal includes a ceasefire, a ban on Iran enriching uranium on its own soil and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route for global oil. In return, Iran would receive sanctions relief, echoing a similar plan reportedly offered before a shorter bombing campaign in June.
Iran had previously accepted strict limits on its nuclear programme under the 2015 nuclear deal, which Trump later abandoned during his first term. Since then, tensions have repeatedly flared as Washington and Israel sought to pressure Tehran over its nuclear and regional policies.
Financial markets initially reacted positively to signs of possible de escalation, with stocks rising and oil prices falling from recent peaks. However, concern remains high over the Strait of Hormuz, through which about one fifth of the world’s oil supply normally passes and which Iran has largely blockaded in response to US and Israeli strikes.
Trump told reporters that Iran had given him “a very big present worth a tremendous amount of money”, which he said proved the US was dealing with “the right people”, though he did not provide details. Tehran has told the International Maritime Organization that non hostile vessels will be allowed to pass through the strait, but said ships from the United States and Israel will remain blocked.
The head of the International Energy Agency, speaking in Tokyo, said he is ready to release additional oil reserves if necessary to cushion the impact of the war on global supplies. Even so, the economic shock is already visible, with countries such as Sri Lanka ordering extra days off work to save energy and diesel prices doubling in Vietnam, forcing some drivers to park their trucks.
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