Iran signals openness to Pakistan-hosted US talks under revised proposal

KARACHI: Iran has conveyed a revised proposal to the United States in an effort to restart stalled negotiations and has indicated it could return to talks in Pakistan as early as next week if Washington responds favourably, according to a Wall Street Journal report cited by Geo News.

The development comes four weeks after the United States and Israel halted their bombing campaign against Iran, with no agreement yet reached to formally end the conflict. The war has caused the biggest disruption ever to global energy supplies.

Iran has been blocking almost all shipping from the Gulf except its own for more than two months, while the Trump administration last month imposed its own blockade on vessels departing Iranian ports.

US President Donald Trump said on Friday he was not pleased with Tehran’s latest offer, though he did not specify which parts he objected to.

"not satisfied"

"They're asking for things that I can't agree to,"

He made the remarks while speaking to reporters at the White House.

Shift in Iran’s position

Which cited people familiar with the matter, Iran’s new proposal reflects greater flexibility than its earlier position. Tehran is now offering to discuss its conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz at the same time as US guarantees to stop attacks and roll back the blockade on Iranian ports.

Previously, Iran had insisted that the blockade be lifted and that there be agreement on ending the war before wider negotiations could begin.

The revised proposal also suggests that talks on Iran’s nuclear programme would be deferred to a later stage, in return for relief from US sanctions.

Iran has told mediators it would be prepared to sit down for talks in Pakistan by early next week if the United States is receptive to the new framework.

Iranian state media confirmed that the proposal had been passed to mediators and said Tehran remained open to diplomacy if Washington softened its rhetoric.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The White House also declined to discuss the contents of the proposal in detail.

“We do not detail private diplomatic conversations. President Trump has been clear that Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon, and negotiations continue to ensure the short- and long-term national security of the United States,”

White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said.

Deadlock continues despite indirect contacts

The latest move follows weeks of deadlock after Iran did not take part in an expected second round of talks in Pakistan. Instead, both sides increased economic pressure in the region.

US officials said President Trump has directed aides to prepare for a prolonged blockade as the standoff continues to affect Iran’s trade and keep global oil prices high.

Despite the new proposal, Iran has maintained that it is not prepared to make major concessions on its nuclear programme. In an earlier plan, Tehran had said discussion of its nuclear file could begin only after issues related to the Strait of Hormuz and the war were settled.

Washington, however, is still pressing for Iran to halt uranium enrichment for up to 20 years and hand over its stockpile of highly enriched material, a demand Tehran has resisted.

Even as tensions persist, indirect communication has continued through intermediaries including Pakistan, Qatar, Egypt and Turkiye.

A possible meeting in Pakistan last week did not take place after Tehran did not confirm its participation, leading the United States to refrain from sending senior officials. During that period, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi visited Islamabad twice.