US Vice President JD Vance said on Tuesday that the United States and Iran have made a lot of progress in their talks and neither side wants to see a resumption of the military campaign.
At a White House briefing, he said the core issue for the United States was that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon as such a scenario will trigger a nuclear arms race. Meanwhile, Iran state media said Tehran’s latest peace proposal to the United States includes ending hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon, the withdrawal of US forces from areas near Iran and compensation for damage caused by the US-Israeli war.
As the world is eagerly waiting for a positive outcome of the mediation process initiated by Pakistan and facilitated by some other countries, there is a general impression that the United States is shifting its stance on an almost daily basis, complicating the environment for the peace process. However, what Vance said was also hinted at by President Donald Trump who told lawmakers that the United States will end the war with Iran very quickly. The US leadership, at the same time, is persisting with its policy of hurling threats of war on Iran despite knowing well that the previous round produced no winner and Iran is determined to defend itself with all means if the war resumes. Iran’s army warned it would “open new fronts” against the US if it resumed attacks, after Trump said he had held off launching a new offensive in hopes of striking a deal. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that Iranian forces are confirmed to be the first to down an American F-35 fighter jet, adding return to war will feature many more surprises. On the basis of statements emanating from Washington and Tehran as well as reports in the international media, analysts believe the two sides have made some progress in their indirect talks after the first round in Islamabad and the hard-hitting remarks are aimed at pressure tactics and a PR exercise to satisfy domestic audiences. The remarks of the Qatari foreign ministry on Tuesday also referred to the progress made in talks, emphasizing that the two sides needed more time to reach a deal. In fact, the deal should not be a problem as Tehran showed flexibility on nuclear issue before start of the war and can agree to an arrangement that acknowledges its sovereign right to pursue nuclear technology for peaceful purposes and Tehran is not forced to hand over the enriched Uranium to the United States, which is considered an act of humiliation. There are discussions on the possibility of giving custody of the material to the Russian Federation but so far, publicly, the United States is not ready to show flexibility in its demand to get possession of the Uranium. The latest Iranian proposal also includes issues like ending the war on all fronts, including Lebanon, lifting the US naval blockade, releasing Iran’s property and assets, providing for the damages caused by the war imposed by the US for reconstruction, ending all unilateral sanctions and Security Council resolutions, and withdrawing US forces from the Islamic Republic’s periphery. It is unlikely that the United States will accept all the demands as envisioned by Tehran but a senior Iranian official claimed that Washington may be softening some of its demands. The source said the US had agreed to release a quarter of Iran’s frozen funds — totaling tens of billions of dollars — held in foreign banks whereas Iran wants all the assets released. The source also claimed that Washington had shown more flexibility in agreeing to let Iran continue some peaceful nuclear activity under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). There are bright prospects for peace but the process will succeed only if all players work hard to foil diversionary tactics by the Zionist regime, which is consistently conspiring to derail the peace process.
