Iran makes new proposal for deal to end war, regional officials say

Iran has made a new proposal for a deal to definitively end the war in the Middle East, officials in the region said on Monday, though there was no sign of any immediate breakthrough in the stalled peace negotiations. A ceasefire has paused most violence after six weeks of US-Israeli airstrikes and Iranian retaliation, but there has been little progress since Donald Trump said the ceasefire was “on life support” , and reports in Israeli media suggest a resumption of hostilities is imminent. Pakistan, which has mediated the discussions since a ceasefire came into effect last month, has shared with the US the new Iranian proposal, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said, but he gave no details. There were contradictory reports from Islamabad. A Pakistani source appeared pessimistic, telling Reuters that Washington and Tehran “keep changing their goalposts” and that time was running out to find agreement. Other regional officials said Iran had made or reiterated some concessions, including a long-term suspension of its nuclear programme and transfer of its highly enriched uranium to Russia, and a phased reopening of the strait of Hormuz. The semi-official Tasnim news agency, citing an unnamed source close to the country’s negotiation team, reported on Monday that the US had agreed to waive sanctions on Tehran’s oil exports during the negotiation period. …