The US is offering a ceasefire, but Iran says Washington is in no mood to negotiate
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The United States has sent a 15-point plan to Iran to end the conflict, an official said, as it begins sending paratroopers to the Mideast to support a group of Marines headed there on Wednesday.
Iran’s military scoffed at the negotiation effort and launched attacks on Israel and the Gulf region, including an attack that set fire to Kuwait’s airport.
With increasing pressure for the United States to end the war as it nears the end of its first month, Washington submitted the plan to Iran through negotiators from Pakistan, who promised to hold renewed talks according to a person briefed on the contours of the proposal, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
Iran’s attack on the region’s energy infrastructure and its seizure of the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway through which a fifth of the world’s oil is shipped, have sent oil prices soaring and rattled global markets amid fears of a global oil crisis.
At least 1,000 soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division will be deployed to the Mideast in the coming days, three people with knowledge of the plans told The Associated Press.
The Pentagon also plans to send two marine units that will add about 5,000 Marines and thousands of sailors to the region. The moves are still being planned as Trump tries to give himself “a lot of flexibility” in what he does next, the person said.
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US President Donald Trump said that US officials are negotiating with Iran, although he did not say who they are communicating with. Iran’s Khatam Al-Anbiya Central headquarters, which oversees the regular army and the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, suggested there were no talks.
“Has your inner conflict reached the point where you are discussing with each other?” said Lt Col. Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesman for the headquarters.
“Our first and last word has been the same since day one, and it will remain the same: A person like us will never meet a person like you,” Zolfaghari said in a video statement broadcast on state television. “Not now, not always.”
US President Donald Trump has said there is progress in talks with Iran, including an ‘offer’ to deal with the Strait of Hormuz, as attacks continue across the Middle East.
Israeli officials, who have been advocating for Trump to continue the war against Iran, were surprised by the delivery of the cease-fire plan, said the official.
The White House did not respond to requests for comment.
Israel launches new strikes on Iran
The Israeli military announced that it had launched a major offensive on Wednesday in Iran targeting government infrastructure, and witnesses reported airstrikes in the northwestern city of Qazvin.
Missile warning bells went off early in the morning in Israel as Iran began its attack, which has been happening every day since Israel and the US attacked Iran on Feb. 28 to start the war.
Iran has also maintained pressure on its Gulf Arab neighbors, with Saudi Arabia’s Defense Ministry saying it has destroyed at least eight drones in the kingdom’s oil-rich Eastern Province, as well as missile warning sites in Bahrain.
Kuwait said it shot down several drones, but one of them hit a fuel tank at the Kuwait International Airport, causing a fire, the General Civil Aviation Authority said. Firefighters were trying to contain the fire.
Brent crude, the international benchmark, has been close to $120 US a barrel during the conflict but was trading just below $100 US in morning trade as talks on a ceasefire helped calm prices. That’s still up nearly 40 percent since the start of the war.
Any negotiations between the US and Iran will face significant challenges. Many of Washington’s revolutionary goals, especially with Iran’s missile and nuclear weapons programs, remain difficult to achieve.
It is not clear who in the Iranian government has the authority to negotiate – or who would agree, as Israel has vowed to continue assassinating the country’s leaders.
Iran remains highly suspicious of the United States, which has attacked twice under the Trump administration during high-level talks, including the strikes that started the current war.
Zolfaghari said the US was not in a position to negotiate.
The power of the tactics you talked about has turned into a failure of strategy,” he said. “The one who claims to have the power of the world would have gotten out of this mess if it was possible.”
Speaking Tuesday at the White House, the president said the US is “in talks right now” and that participants include special envoy Steve Witkoff, his son-in-law Jared Kushner, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance.
“We have a number of people who are doing it,” Trump said. “And on the other hand, I can tell you, they would like to make a deal.”
The office of Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said he was discussing the war this week with several of his colleagues. But Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, Speaker of Iran’s Parliament, denied Trump’s claims about direct talks.
