News
01/04/26
Iran, US presidents trade peace requirements: Update
Recasts, with added comments from US president, Adnoc CEO, UK PM London, 1 April
(Argus) — The presidents of Iran and the US have each laid out simple conditions
required in order for the war to de-escalate, but neither indicated they would
take the first step. Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian said late on 31 March
that Tehran has the "necessary will" to bring the conflict with the US and
Israel to an end, but only once it has ironclad guarantees that they will not
attack Iran in the future. On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump said "Iran's
new regime president" — presumably Pezeshkian, but this was not specified — has
asked Washington for a ceasefire, but said this request would only be considered
when Iran reopens shipping through the strait of Hormuz. Until then the US would
continue its military campaign, Trump said. Iran has yet to offer any formal
response to Trump's latest comments. If true, they would represent a departure
from Tehran's recent stance. Iranian officials, including foreign minister Abbas
Araqchi, have repeatedly said Iran is not looking for a ceasefire, but wants a
total end to hostilities. They have said a ceasefire will allow for the US and
Israel to once again regroup and prepare for future attacks. "We do not believe
in a ceasefire," Araqchi said. "We believe in ending the war." The US has been
claiming negotiations with unidentified Iranian officials since last week,
repeatedly remarking on "very good" progress. Iranian officials have
consistently denied that any negotiations are underway. Trump is scheduled to
address the US to "provide an important update on Iran" at 21:00 ET on Wednesday
(02:00 GMT on Thursday), the White House said. He said on 31 March that US
forces could leave the region within two to three weeks. Hormuz disruption The
war in the Middle East is in a fifth week, with the US and Israel continuing
their heavy aerial campaign against numerous targets across Iran. Tehran has
been responding to the attacks by launching missiles and drones at Israel and
US-linked assets across the Mideast Gulf, including critical energy
infrastructure in Gulf Co-operation Council states. Iranian retaliatory attacks
on commercial vessels in and around the strait of Hormuz have heavily restricted
traffic through the key waterway, severely curtailing exports of crude oil, oil
products, LNG, fertilizers and other commodities from the region. Pezeshkian
reiterated that the strait is only closed to vessels with links to "Iran's
aggressors and their supporters", and several Asian countries, including
Malaysia and Thailand, have said in recent days that Tehran has given assurances
of safe passage. Pakistan's foreign minister Ishaq Dar said at the weekend that
Iran had approved 20 Pakistani-flagged vessels to traverse the strait. Abu Dhabi
state-owned Adnoc's chief executive, Sultan al-Jaber, today described the
strait's closure as "global extortion", and said "the world must act together to
protect the free flow of energy and safeguard economic stability." With the US
seemingly preferring other countries to take responsibility for securing the
strait, the UK today said it will host this week a meeting of 35 nations'
foreign ministers to assess ways of opening the waterway and to make it
"accessible and safe after the fighting has stopped". London did not outline
which countries are involved, but if they are the same 35 as co-signed a UK
letter in mid-March calling for the strait to reopen this would be a new attempt
to get an international coalition together. In the early days of the war France
said it would create a coalition to secure vessel traffic through Hormuz, but
Paris later backtracked on that , in line with the broader EU stance . By Nader
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