Progress has been made in the past 24 hours in the negotiations between the US and Iran, though reaching a ceasefire deal by President Trump’s 8:00 pm ET deadline still looks like a long shot, Axios reported, quoting a US official, an Israeli official and two other sources with knowledge of the talks.
The key challenges at the moment are meeting Iran’s demand for a strong guarantee that the US and Israel won’t just resume the war after a pause, and the slow pace of responses from Iranian leadership due to the security situation, sources say.
Iran sent a counter-proposal to the US via the mediators on Monday. While it was incompatible with the US positions, the White House actually saw it as somewhat encouraging, according to a US official and another source with knowledge.
“The last proposal we got wasn’t really what we wanted, but it was a lot better than we expected,” the US official said. The mediators then worked with the Iranians on amendments and redrafting, a source familiar with that process said.
The main option under discussion is a set of confidence-building measures by both Iran and the US focused on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and in exchange for guarantees on ending the war. A 45-day ceasefire to allow negotiations on a broader deal is also being discussed. “Everything is wrapped together. There is definitely ceasefire talk,” a US official said.
According to another source, there has been renewed discussion about a possible in-person meeting between a US delegation led by Vance and an Iranian delegation. “There’s an appetite for more talks. Last week it was Geneva, this week it could be Islamabad,” a US official said.
