Reports suggested Thursday that diplomacy is progressing toward a possible resolution of the Iran War as the ceasefire entered its 44th day.
President Donald Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland that the U.S. is in “the final stages of Iran,” and that if the Iranians did not convey a satisfactory answer “within a few days,” kinetic operations against Iran would resume.
Bloomberg reported Thursday that the Iranian regime felt the latest U.S. deal proposal has “narrowed the gaps,” citing the Iranian Student News Association. ISNA did not disclose the source for that information.
Axios, citing anonymous sources, claimed Wednesday that Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu was disgruntled after a call with President Donald Trump about negotiations to end the war.
Reuters reported Thursday, citing two unnamed Iranian sources, that Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei directed that Iran’s stockpile of uranium should remain in the country, a major sticking point for American negotiators. A senior Iranian official who spoke to Al Jazeera shortly after that Reuters report was published on Thursday denied that Khamenei had issued any such directive, calling the claims “propaganda by the enemies of the deal.”
The official told Al Jazeera that Iran would consider a downblend of its nuclear material, but that would only be discussed in the future as “the subject of talks in the next stage.” Drop Site News had previously reported, citing an unnamed senior Iranian official, that Iran has ruled out transferring its enriched uranium outside the country, but that they would agree to dilute it under international supervision.
The Wall Street Journal previously reported that U.S. demands to end the conflict include the transfer of Iran’s enriched uranium to a third country. Iran demands that nuclear talks and negotiations to end the war remain separate, saying that various conditions must be met before they are willing to consider nuclear issues.
Reuters reported that Iran’s conditions to end the conflict, per the proposal over the weekend, have not changed. Iran seeks sanctions relief, the release of frozen funds, the exit of U.S. forces from areas close to Iran, an end to the U.S. naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, and an end to hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon, where Israel has waged a deadly military campaign.
The Financial Times reported that the Iran war has accelerated global adoption of China’s cross-border payment system (CIPS), with daily transaction volumes hitting a record of $135.7 billion in March. Buyers such as India have used renminbi to pay for deliveries, due to the inability of Russia and Iran to receive dollar payments on sales of recently unsanctioned oil.
The price of Brent Crude oil rose above $108 on Thursday morning, and gas prices remained elevated. AAA reported the national average price of regular gas at $4.56.
Lebanon’s Health Ministry said that Israeli attacks killed at least 16 people on Wednesday, while the IDF said that 10 Israeli soldiers were injured by Hezbollah drones in southern Lebanon.
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