Iran has conveyed through regional intermediaries that in order to accept a truce, the United States must guarantee that neither it nor Israel will attack the country again in the future, according to several officials familiar with the situation.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
According to Bloomberg, Tehran is worried about the possibility of Israel launching a new attack after the end of the current war, said the same sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they are discussing sensitive matters.
It is not clear whether the United States is willing to provide such a guarantee to Iran, nor whether it could compel Israel to do the same.
Behind-the-scenes communication channels are being facilitated by several European and Middle Eastern countries, the sources said.
Late Wednesday night, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the only way to end the war is “recognition of Iran's legitimate rights, payment of reparations and firm international guarantees against future aggression”.
He said he delivered this message “to the leaders of Russia and Pakistan”.
On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump signaled that the war with Iran would end “soon”.
“A little bit of everything… Whenever I want it to end, it will end.” Trump said in a brief phone call with Axios on Wednesday.
“The war is going very well. We are much more advanced than planned. I caused more damage than I thought possible, even in the initial six week period“, he added.
While the president says the targets are largely met, Israeli and US officials say they are preparing to continue strikes against Iran for at least another two weeks.
