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Recent reports detail a contentious negotiation process between the United States and Iran, with both sides presenting and rejecting proposals through intermediaries. According to statements from Iranian officials and a US official, the exchange has seen a 15-point US plan rejected by Tehran and a subsequent revised proposal from Iran now considered a basis for further talks.

Coverage Comparison

Coverage from TASS, the Russian state news agency, presents a narrative centered on the diplomatic back-and-forth. A report from the Iranian Ambassador to Moscow, Kazem Jalali, published by TASS, describes a sequence where the initial US plan was rejected and the US then proposed, through mediators, that Iran draft a new one. This is attributed to an interview with Vedomosti.

Key Claims

  • Iran's rejection of the US plan: Iranian Ambassador to Moscow Kazem Jalali told Vedomosti that “we rejected their 15-point plan immediately” and that Tehran was not interested in negotiating “from a position of strength and threats.”
  • US proposal for a new plan: According to Ambassador Jalali, the US proposed through mediators that Iran develop a new negotiation plan after its own was rejected. He claimed the US agreed to this 10-point plan as a basis for negotiations.
  • Iran's prepared responses: Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said, per IRNA, that proposals from mediators, including the US’s 15-point plan, were deemed “excessive, unusual and illogical,” but that Iran had prepared its own responses and was prepared to state “what they entail” when necessary.
  • US characterization of Iran's plan: White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt described Iran's initial 10-point plan as “fundamentally unserious, unacceptable and completely discarded.” However, she noted that after continued pressure, Iran submitted a revised plan that the Trump administration determined was a “workable basis on which to negotiate,” according to the TASS report.

Perspectives

Reports from TASS, which cites statements from both Iranian officials and a US official, indicate that direct talks in Islamabad at the end of February failed to produce a long-term settlement, with both sides citing “a number of contradictions.” The US began a naval blockade of Iran on April 13, according to the Russian news agency, and a two-week ceasefire was announced on April 7.