US-Iran diplomacy picks up: What’s the latest?

Iranian media reported that the Pakistani interior minister is in Iran to help the US and Iran reach a peace deal. Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi arrived in the Iranian capital Tehran on Wednesday to meet with his Iranian counterpart Eskandar Momeni, Iranian state broadcaster IRIB reported. The United States and Iran have continued to exchange proposals for peace since a temporary ceasefire between them was agreed last month amid Pakistan’s mediation attempts to arrange talks. But hostilities have not come to a complete halt and both sides are believed to still be far apart on a number of key issues. On Monday, Saudi Arabia said it had intercepted three drones, the day after a drone attack at the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant in the United Arab Emirates. That raised more concerns about the potential for renewed military escalation in the Gulf as peace negotiations drag on. What are the latest diplomatic developments? While the details of discussions between Naqvi and Momeni have not been made public, Naqvi’s visit to Iran was the second in less than a week, potentially signalling new diplomatic efforts to resolve the US‑Israeli war on Iran. The Iranian IRNA news agency said Naqvi is scheduled to hold more meetings with senior Iranian officials. However, on Wednesday, Donald Trump told reporters that peace negotiations with Iran are “borderline” between talks and renewed strikes. “If we don’t get the right answers, it goes very quickly. We’re all ready to go,” Trump said. The visit to Tehran by Pakistan’s military chief was reportedly aimed at bringing the Iranian and US positions closer together, Iran’s ISNA news agency reported. “The Iranian text is being discussed in Tehran regarding the overarching framework, some details and confidence-building measures as guarantees,” ISNA reported, adding that “the submitted text has narrowed the gaps to some extent, but further reductions require an end to the temptation for war from Washington”. Munir’s visit is “aimed at narrowing these gaps and reaching the moment for the official announcement of the memorandum of understanding”. What do we know about the latest peace proposals? Tehran is reviewing the latest US peace proposal conveyed via Pakistan, Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Wednesday. On Monday, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that Iran had submitted a revised 14-point peace plan to end the war. In April, Pakistan hosted the only direct negotiations between US and Iranian officials since the war began on February 28. On April 8, a temporary ceasefire was reached between the conflicting parties through Pakistani mediation. Since then, armed hostilities have largely subsided, but a durable peace agreement remains elusive, with both the US and Iran dissatisfied with each other’s proposed terms. A major point of contention is Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium. During negotiations, Washington has urged Tehran to give away its enriched uranium, a demand Tehran has resisted. It is understood that it may consider handing it over to a third party besides the US. The question of Iran’s ability to enrich uranium at all is another important issue. The US wants to impose a 20-year moratorium on Iran enriching any uranium. However, under the Obama-era Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action signed with a number of nations in 2015, Iran had been allowed to enrich to 3.87 percent – enough to develop a nuclear power programme. Trump withdrew the US from the agreement in 2018, even though international inspectors said Iran had stuck to its side of the bargain. The Strait of Hormuz is another contentious issue. Since early March, Iran has restricted shipping through the narrow waterway linking the Gulf to the open ocean, through which 20 percent of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies are shipped during peacetime. Iran has allowed passage of vessels from select countries, but they are required to negotiate transit with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). In its previous proposals to end the war, Iran has mentioned charging transit tolls for vessels. Washington and other countries have repeatedly rejected the prospect. In April, the US announced a naval blockade on ships entering or leaving Iranian ports, further adding to the disruption of global oil and gas supplies. On Wednesday, the IRGC said it coordinated the transit of 26 vessels through the strait in the past 24 hours, as talks between Washington and Tehran remain stalled. Another issue is Iran’s support and financing of proxy armed groups in the region, which it calls the “Axis of Resistance”. They include the Houthis in Yemen, who have disrupted Israeli-linked shipping in the Red Sea in protest over the war on Gaza; Hezbollah in Lebanon and a number of groups in Iraq and Syria. The US wants all support from Iran to cease, but experts say the Iranians are unlikely to agree. What’s going on beyond the exchange of proposals? Paki