A Pakistani source said on Monday morning that on Sunday night, Islamabad had conveyed to the United States an updated Iranian proposal aimed at advancing an end to the war between the countries.
Contacts between Iran and the United States are currently continuing through Pakistani mediation, amid efforts to promote a diplomatic framework that would ease bilateral tensions.
According to the sources, the new Iranian proposal includes an official commitment not to produce nuclear weapons, but it does not address the issue of enriched uranium or the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz.
At the same time as the proposal was conveyed, US President Donald Trump spoke to Fortune magazine and addressed Tehran’s conduct in the negotiations.
“They scream all the time," he told Fortune, referring to the Iranians. “I can tell you one thing - they’re dying to sign [a deal]. But they make a deal, and then they send you a paper that has no relationship to the deal you made. I say, ‘Are you people crazy?’ "
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei, however, presented his country’s position and clarified that Tehran’s current focus is not on the details of the nuclear issue, but on achieving regional calm.
“Regarding issues related to the nuclear [matter], we have explicitly clarified our positions," Baghaei said. “At this stage, our focus is on ending the war, in accordance with the boundaries which I explained in various meetings. As for the nuclear issue, we also emphasized that we will not give up our rights under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. As of now, we also have not discussed the details of the nuclear issues, and all of our focus will be on ending the war."
He added that his country is militarily prepared for developments and is ready to respond forcefully to any action against it.
“We are advancing diplomacy seriously, but we do not intend to surrender to the contradictory behavior and threats of the parties against us," Baghaei declared. “We are fully prepared for any scenario, and as our armed forces have shown over the past 40 days, in the event of any insane action, we will respond with full force. I also assure you that our armed forces will also have new surprises for the enemy."