No headway as Iran, US remain entrenched

ISLAMABAD / WASHINGTON: The pendulum of de-escalation swung several times on Wednesday, as Iran and the US traded barbs and claims about progress on backchannel efforts to restore some semblance of normalcy in the war-torn Middle East.

However, the prospect of direct engagement between the two sides seemed to dwindle, as the Iranian side appeared circumspect about the prospect of returning to the table for talks with the “backstabbing US”.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also made the distinction clear, saying that an exchange of messages through mediators “does not mean negotiations with the US”.

No talks were being held with Washington, he said, adding that the US had failed to achieve its key war objectives against Iran, including securing a quick military victory and bringing about regime change in Tehran.

The sequence of events started with an acknowledgement of Pakistan’s role in backchannel diplomacy between the warring sides, as Iranian officials confirmed that Pakistan had passed on a proposal from the US to Iran.

This seemed to be a reference to the ‘15-point plan’ that US President Donald Trump had referred to a day earlier. Although its contents were not officially disclosed, as per Israel’s Channel 12, it centred around stopping Iran from building nuclear weapons, limiting its missile programme in range and quantity, stopping its support for Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza and the Houthis in Yemen, as well as reopening the Strait of Hormuz so it could function as a “free maritime corridor”.

In exchange, the plan promised the lifting of all sanctions on Iran, and international assistance in developing its nuclear capacity for energy production.

However, Iran’s state-run Press TV reported on Wednesday that Tehran had “responded negatively” to the American proposal, citing a senior political-security official.

“The official with knowledge of the details of the proposal… said Iran will not allow US President Donald Trump to dictate the timing of the war’s end,” it said.

“Iran will end the war when it decides to do so and when its own conditions are met,” the official said, outlining five conditions under which Tehran would agree to end the ongoing conflict.

These include: a complete halt to “aggression and assassinations” by the enemy; the establishment of concrete mechanisms to ensure that the war is not reimposed on the Islamic Republic; guaranteed and clearly defined payment of war damages and reparations; the conclusion of the war across all fronts and for all resistance groups involved throughout the region; and, international recognition and guarantees regarding Iran’s sovereign right to exercise authority over the Strait of Hormuz.

Subsequently, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, in a briefing on Wednesday, said that talks were still on, and described them as “productive”.

Leavitt claimed that Tehran was seeking an “exit ramp” as their capacity to attack US and allied forces, as well as their ability to defend territory, is “dwindling, literally, hour by hour”.

“We are very close to meeting the core objectives of Operation Epic Fury and this mission continues unabated,” Leavitt said. However, she cast doubt on the draft of the 15-point plan being cited in media reports, saying: “The White House never confirmed that full plan. There are elements of truth to it, but some of the stories I read are not entirely factual.”

Talk of the venue of a possible US-Iran summit had reached fever pitch on Tuesday after PM Shehbaz Sharif offered to host the confab in Islamabad. But Iranian officials said on Wednesday that “either Turkiye or Pakistan was under consideration as the venue for such talks”.

In addition, there has been speculation that Vice President JD Vance may have been tapped to lead the engagement with Tehran following reports that the Iranians no longer trusted “backstabbing” Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the same men who were engaged in Oman-mediated talks with Iran before the US and Israel launched their surprise attack on Feb 28.

An X account that tracks US government planes, @USGovtJets, lent credence to rumours that Vance may be heading to the Middle East when it reported that five C-17s aircraft departed Andrews Air Force Base “in support of an unannounced VPOTUS trip”.

“All aircraft are holding at Ramstein Air Base for official confirmation of a trip. No official destination has been announced,” the account wrote.

When Pakistani journalist Marianna Baabar asked whether this meant that Vance was due in Islamabad on Thursday, the account responded: “This would be most likely. Normally, they would be on the ground 24 hours before VPOTUS arrival, but this is anything but normal.”

When asked about the possibility of VP Vance playing a part in the talks, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that he had been part of national security discussions related to Iran throughout the entirety of the Trump administration.