UNITED States President Donald Trump has insisted Tehran is seeking a deal to end nearly a month of intense fighting.
Trump stated this just hours after Iran Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi claimed his country was only reviewing a US ceasefire proposal. Araqchi said his nation was not negotiating and had no plans to enter talks to end the war.
However, the US president maintained his earlier stance, noting that Iranian leaders were already negotiating behind the scenes. He suggested they were eager for a deal but too fearful to admit it publicly, warning they faced threats both internally and from the United States.
An Iranian embassy official in Islamabad said talks in Islamabad were still on the table and Pakistan was the preferred destination for Tehran, although nothing had been finalised.
According to Reuters, the US proposed a 15-point for negotiation, reportedly delivered via Pakistan. The plan calls for Iran to reopen Hormuz, dismantle its highly enriched uranium stockpiles, curb its missile programme, and cut support for regional allies.
However, Israeli officials doubt Iran will accept such terms and fear US negotiators may soften their stance. Israel is also pushing to retain the right to launch pre-emptive strikes under any agreement.
The ICIR reported that Iran launched multiple waves of missile strikes on Israel on Tuesday, hours after Trump declared a five-day ceasefire.
Trump had said the US was in talks with Iran but Iran’s Parliament Speaker, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, whom an Israeli official and two other sources identified as the Iranian-side interlocutor in the talks, wrote on X that no negotiations had taken place.
Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) said they were launching new attacks on US targets, dismissing Trump’s remarks as “psychological operations” that were “worn out” and had no effect on Tehran’s campaign.
This latest development underscores the worsening trends in a conflict that erupted on February 28, where thousands have been killed across the Middle East following coordinated US-Israeli strikes on Iran. Tehran has repeatedly retaliated with attacks on Israel, US bases, and Gulf nations.
Leadership in Iran has also been thrown into turmoil as Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in an early Israeli strike, with his son Mojtaba stepping in, though he has since been wounded and largely unseen.
Meanwhile, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly 20 per cent of the world’s oil passes has triggered what analysts are calling the worst energy shock in modern history. Fuel shortages are spreading globally, supply chains are buckling, and governments are considering emergency measures reminiscent of the COVID-19 era.
The ICIR reported that Trump’s decision to step back had earlier lifted equities and pushed oil prices sharply below $100 a barrel, reversing a market slump triggered by his weekend threats and Iran’s warnings of retaliation, but those gains came under pressure on Tuesday after Iran’s parliament speaker denied that any negotiations had taken place, casting doubt on the market’s earlier optimism.
On Tuesday, US Treasury yields climbed and the dollar recovered as markets continued to absorb the shock of energy supply risks tied to Iran’s threat to shipping in the strait.
Brent crude futures rose 4.2 per cent to $104.21 a barrel, rebounding from a roughly 10 per cent drop the previous day, while US crude gained 4.3 per cent to $91.93 per barrel.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues. She has documented sexual war crimes in armed conflict, sex for grades in Nigerian Universities, harmful traditional practices and human trafficking.