DUBAI, March 26 - Iran's initial reaction to a U.S. proposal intended to bring an end to the war was that the plan was "one-sided and unfair," a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Thursday. The official said the proposal had been "reviewed in detail on Wednesday night by senior Iranian officials and the representative of Iran’s Supreme Leader."
The official offered a concise characterization of the proposal's substance, saying: "In brief, the proposal suggests that Iran would relinquish its ability to defend itself in exchange for a vague plan to lift sanctions." He added that, on those grounds, the proposal did not meet what Tehran considers the minimum requirements for success.
While delivering that assessment, the official also indicated there remains a conditional opening if positions change in Washington, saying a path forward might still be found if realism prevailed in Washington. He cautioned, however, that "there is still no arrangement for negotiations, and no plan for talks appears realistic at this stage."
The official noted that Turkey and Pakistan were engaged in efforts to reduce the differences between Iran and the United States and to "establish common ground." According to the official, those two countries are attempting to help bridge positions while Tehran assesses the proposal it received via Pakistan.
The account from the Iranian official emphasizes both the detailed internal review carried out by Iran's senior decision-makers and their reservations about the proposal's balance and sufficiency. The official's comments underscore Tehran's view that the offer would require significant concessions on its defensive posture in exchange for only an indistinct commitment regarding sanctions relief.
At present, according to the official's remarks, there is no agreed framework for negotiations and no credible plan for talks has yet emerged, even as third parties seek to facilitate dialogue. The future of any diplomatic engagement, the official suggested, depends on substantive changes in Washington's approach and on whether mediating parties can help narrow the divide.
Contact and follow-up: The official's statements reflect Iran's early assessment of the U.S. proposal as relayed through Pakistan and reviewed domestically; they also indicate ongoing, but as yet inconclusive, mediation efforts by Turkey and Pakistan.