Iran, particularly concerned that it will be attacked again by Israel after the current war ends, has told regional brokers that a ceasefire requires the United States to guarantee that neither it nor Israel will attack the country again in the future, according to several officials familiar with the matter told Bloomberg.
It is unclear whether the United States is willing to make such a promise to Iran, and whether it would be ready to push for Israel to do the same. According to sources, secondary channels are facilitated by European states and Middle Eastern countries.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said late Wednesday that the only way to end the war was “recognition of Iran's legitimate rights, payment of reparations and firm international guarantees against future aggression.”
He stated that he conveyed this message to the “leaders of Russia and Pakistan”.
US President Donald Trump said the operation launched on February 28 against Iran was “way ahead” of the planned timetable.
“It turned out to be easier than I thought,” Trump told reporters accompanying him in Ohio, according to CNN and The Guardian.
French President Emmanuel Macron warned on Wednesday that strikes by the United States and Israel have weakened Iran's ballistic military capabilities, but they “have not been reduced to zero”.
In remarks after a video call with other G7 leaders, he said Trump needed to “clarify both his ultimate goals and the pace he wants to set for the operations” launched alongside Israel against Iran.
Iran's military, which has continued to launch missiles and drones at Israel and countries including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain, threatened on Wednesday that it planned to attack “economic centers and banks” in the Gulf, claiming an Israeli-American attack on a bank branch in Tehran, according to AFP.
