According to the officials cited by the daily, the plan concerns Iran's ballistic missile program and nuclear program – the two main goals of the bombing campaign conducted by Israel and the US since February 28. It also covers the issue of sea routes, which refers primarily to the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, through which approximately 20 percent of world supplies of oil and gas.
Pakistan is the main intermediary
It is not known whether Israel – which conducts the bombing together with the US – accepted the proposal. It is also unclear how widely the plan has been disseminated among Iranian decision-makers and whether Tehran will accept it as a basis for negotiations.
White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt confirmed that diplomatic efforts were ongoing, but said the US “continues Operation Epic Fury without any changes to achieve the military objectives set by the Commander in Chief and the Pentagon.”
According to the NYT, Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff Marshal Syed Asim Munir has emerged as the main intermediary between Washington and Tehran, “with the support of Egypt and Turkey, which encourage Iran to engage constructively.” The newspaper claims that Munir maintains close contacts with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which is intended to prove that he is a reliable intermediary.
According to Iranian and Pakistani officials cited by the newspaper, Munir recently approached the speaker of Iran's parliament and former IRGC commander, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, with a proposal for Pakistan to host Iran-US talks.
The newspaper recalled that last year Munir spoke twice with Trump, who described him as his “favorite field marshal.” On Tuesday, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif wrote on his social media profile that his country “fully supports ongoing dialogue efforts” and is ready to host the talks.
“NYT” also emphasized that Iran may have difficulty responding quickly to the American proposal due to communication difficulties within the Iranian regime. Senior officials also fear that in the event of direct meetings, they may become the target of Israeli bombings. It is also unclear who currently makes decisions on matters of diplomacy, war and peace in Tehran.
The daily also emphasized that the White House's readiness to negotiate suggests that Trump would be willing to leave the current regime in power – at least for now – in a weakened and more submissive form.
