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Laying bare a deepening diplomatic gridlock, Iranian media said on Sunday that the United States had failed to make any concrete concessions in its latest response to Iran's proposed agenda for negotiations to end the war.
Dismantling the specifics of Washington's diplomatic framework, the Fars news agency said Washington had presented a five-point list, which included a demand for Iran to keep only one nuclear site in operation and transfer its stockpile of highly enriched uranium to the United States. The media outlet further revealed a stark financial impasse, noting that the US also refused to release "even 25 per cent" of Iran's frozen assets abroad or pay any reparations for the damage inflicted on Iran during the war, which broke out on February 28, according to Fars. Adding to the friction, the report added that the US had conditioned the cessation of hostilities on all fronts on the start of negotiations. Offering a scathing critique of the ongoing diplomatic back-and-forth, the Mehr news agency, meanwhile, said, "The United States, offering no tangible concessions, wants to obtain concessions that it failed to obtain during the war, which will lead to an impasse in the negotiations." The severe pushback from Tehran's state media follows a comprehensive de-escalation blueprint tabled by the Islamic Republic. In its proposal, Iran had called for an end to the war on all fronts, including Israel's campaign in Lebanon, as well as a halt to the US naval blockade on Iranian ports in place since April 13. Seeking a total dismantling of Washington's economic stranglehold, the framework also called for lifting all US sanctions and the release of Iranian assets frozen abroad under longstanding US sanctions, according to the Iranian foreign ministry in a press conference last week. On the pivotal issue of maritime trade checkpoints, Fars said the Iranian proposal had emphasised that Tehran would continue to manage the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a vital energy conduit which it has largely kept closed since the start of the war. As diplomatic tracks stall, the rhetorical battle has rapidly spilt into the military domain. On Sunday, Iranian armed forces spokesman Abolfazl Shekarchi warned US President Donald Trump against restarting attacks on Iran. Issuing a fiery ultimatum via official broadcast channels, the military commander indicated that any renewed Western kinetic action would unleash an unpredictable domestic retaliation. "The desperate American president should know that if his threats are carried out and Islamic Iran is attacked again, his country's resources and military will be confronted with unprecedented, offensive, surprising and tumultuous scenarios," he said, according to state television. (ANI)
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