— Now our position is to continue the resistance. We do not intend to negotiate, there have been no negotiations so far, our position here is very fundamental. Talking about negotiations now would be admitting defeat, Aragchi stressed.
Aragchi: exchanging positions is not negotiation
Iran's foreign minister said the exchange of messages by mediators “does not mean negotiations with the US.” He added that U.S. officials conveyed a message that was passed on to top Iranian authorities, who in turn “will announce their position to them if necessary.”
The proposal has not been made public, but according to leaks it includes, among others: Iran's abandonment of its nuclear program, its return of enriched uranium, limiting Iran's missile arsenal and opening the Strait of Hormuz. In return, the US would lift sanctions on Iran. According to the media, Tehran did not react positively to this news and made its own demands.
White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said Wednesday that reports about the 15-point plan are only partially true. However, she stressed that if Iran does not accept “the realities of the current situation, if it does not understand that it has been defeated militarily, President Trump will ensure that it is hit harder than ever before.”
In his Wednesday speech, Aragchi noted that the Strait of Hormuz is closed only to Iran's enemies. After the outbreak of the war, attacks by Iranian forces on ships and threats of further attacks almost completely paralyzed transport through this area of key importance for oil and gas trade.
