A 15-point US plan to end the war with Iran
A 15-point US plan to end the war with Iran
2026-03-25
Shafaq News – Washington
The New York Times revealed on Wednesday, citing officials familiar with the diplomatic process, that the United States has sent Iran a 15-point plan to end the war in the Middle East, in a move reflecting the Trump administration’s efforts to find a way out of a conflict that has shaken the global economy and raised concerns in energy markets.
According to a report by the newspaper, translated by Shafaq News Agency, the plan was conveyed to Tehran via Pakistan, but it is not yet clear whether Iran will accept it as a basis for any negotiations. It is also still unclear whether Israel, which has been participating with the United States in bombing Iran for about four weeks, supports this course of action.
The items include Iran’s nuclear program, its ballistic missiles, shipping lanes, and other undisclosed points.
This came as Trump said on Tuesday that negotiations to end the war were already underway, stressing that the Iranians wanted to “make a deal”.
He added, in remarks to reporters from the Oval Office, that these negotiations are not only ongoing, but also involve Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, along with Steve Wittkopf and Jared Kushner.
While Iran continues to officially declare that no negotiations are taking place with Washington, the newspaper said that Tehran and the United States are exchanging messages through intermediaries to reduce escalation and contain the confrontation, according to Iranian officials and an Iranian diplomat.
Trump portrayed Iran as being so close to military defeat that it had no option but to negotiate. However, developments on the ground on Tuesday, according to the report, showed that Tehran remains capable of launching attacks across the region. Iranian missiles targeted Israel and Iraq, while Gulf states reported new strikes, despite previous American and Israeli assertions that Iran’s ballistic missile program had suffered significant damage.
The newspaper quoted Israeli authorities as saying that a direct hit in Tel Aviv caused extensive damage to at least three residential buildings, while six people were treated for injuries in the city, according to emergency services. A woman was also killed and two others were injured in northern Israel following a barrage of rockets and drones launched from Lebanon.
In the Kurdistan region, a barrage of six Iranian ballistic missiles resulted in the deaths of six Peshmerga fighters and injuries to 30 others.
When Trump was asked why he was willing to consider a ceasefire with the Iranians, he said, “They are talking to us, and they are making sense.”
The report also noted that Trump dodged a question about whether Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was encouraging him to continue the war, simply saying that he was a “fighter” and that he was “fighting with us.”
In a related context, the newspaper said that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is heading to France on Friday to hold talks with diplomats from the G7 countries on the war and other issues.
On the economic front, the report added that Iran’s de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz, along with recent attacks on oil and gas facilities in the Gulf, pushed the global benchmark crude price above $100 on Tuesday, while the Philippines declared a national energy emergency, and South Korea urged residents to shorten their showers and avoid charging phones and electric cars at night to cope with the crisis.
In Tehran, the Iranian presidency announced the appointment of former Revolutionary Guard General Mohammad Baqer Zolghadr as the country’s top security official, succeeding Ali Larijani, who was killed in an Israeli attack.
As for human losses, Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations said that the number of civilian deaths in the country has reached at least 1,348 since the start of the war, a figure that has not been updated since March 11, while the HRANA news agency said that the number has exceeded 1,440 dead.
More than a thousand people were killed in Lebanon, while at least 15 people were killed in Iranian attacks on Israel, and the number of American deaths reached 13 military personnel.
shafaq.com
