Trump sceptical about Iran’s proposal for talks — WSJ

NEW YORK, April 28. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump and members of his national security team reacted sceptically to Iran’s three-stage plan for negotiations, and Washington will present a counterproposal in the coming days, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing anonymous US officials. According to the newspaper, the American leader did not reject Tehran’s proposal outright but voiced concerns that Iran was unwilling to meet Washington’s key demand of abandoning uranium enrichment. The United States will continue negotiations with Iran and plans to present its response and counterproposals to the Islamic Republic’s plan in the coming days, the WSJ said. Earlier, the Al Mayadeen TV channel reported that Iran had presented mediators with a three-stage plan under which it is prepared to negotiate with the United States. According to the broadcaster, the Iranian side is demanding that the first phase of negotiations "focus on ending the war and obtaining guarantees" that military operations against Iran and Lebanon do not resume. The second phase would involve discussions on the control over the Strait of Hormuz after the conflict ends. The third phase, according to Iran’s proposal, would address Tehran’s nuclear program. The channel notes that Iran "refuses to discuss this issue until an agreement is reached on the first two phases." On April 11, the parties held several rounds of talks in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad. The Iranian delegation was led by parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, while Vice President JD Vance headed the US delegation. Both Tehran and Washington said following the negotiations that no agreement on finding a long-term solution to the conflict had been reached due to a range of disagreements. Details regarding a potential new round of talks remain unavailable.