US has proposed an end to fighting before talks on Iran’s nuclear programme
Main points
- US president Donald Trump swiftly rejected Iran’s response to a peace proposal from Washington
- “I don’t like it — TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, without giving further details
- The US had proposed an end to fighting before starting talks on more contentious issues, including Iran’s nuclear program
- Iran’s response focused on ending the war on all fronts, including in Lebanon, where Israel is fighting Iran-backed Hizbullah
- Trump’s response sent oil prices surging on Monday amid concerns the 10-week-old conflict will drag on
- Oil prices are around 50 per cent higher after the US and Israel attacked Iran, which is keeping shipping in the Strait of Hormuz paralysed
- Trump is expected in Beijing on Wednesday and is set to ask China to use its influence to push Iran to make a deal
Two killed in further Israeli attacks on Lebanon despite ceasefire
Two people were killed and five others injured in an Israeli airstrike on the southern Lebanese town of Abba on Monday morning, according to Lebanon’s state-run national news agency (NNA).
The NNA also reported that Israeli warplanes launched a series of airstrikes this morning on the towns of Yahmar al-Shaqif and Kfar Tebnit, and shelling on the towns of Yahmar Arnoun, Nabatieh al-Fawqa and Mayfadoun.
Despite a US-brokered ceasefire agreement, Israel and Hizbullah have continued with their attacks, accusing each other of violations.
The UK and France will host a multinational meeting of defence ministers involving 40 countries on Tuesday to discuss military plans to restore trade flows through the Strait of Hormuz, the British defence ministry said.
The UK’s defence secretary, John Healey, pictured right, and his French counterpart Catherine Vautrin will co-chair the meeting.
“When I co-chair this meeting of nations from around the world, our job will be to make sure we are not just talking, we are ready to act. That is why I have directed HMS Dragon to the Middle East, so Britain is in a position to support this mission the moment it is needed,” Healey said.
“This government will not stand by when instability drives up costs for British families and businesses”.
The UK has already announced the deployment of HMS Dragon to the region, so the destroyer can play a role in a multinational mission should the conditions allow after the US-Israel war on Iran is over.
On Sunday, Iran threatened to strike British and French warships in the strait if they try to help reopen the strategic waterway.
French President Emmanuel Macron subsequently clarified that France had “never envisaged” a naval deployment but rather a security mission that would be done in coordination with Tehran.
Iran’s proposal to end the war with the US and reopen the Strait of Hormuz was legitimate and generous, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday.
“Our demand is legitimate: demanding an end to the war, lifting the (US) blockade and piracy, and releasing Iranian assets that have been unjustly frozen in banks due to US pressure,” Baghaei said.
“Safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz and establishing security in the region and Lebanon were other demands of Iran, which are considered a generous and responsible offer for regional security.”
The US parameters for nuclear talks reportedly included a moratorium on Iranian nuclear enrichment for up to 20 years; the transfer overseas, possibly to the US, of Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium (HEU), which could be used to make nuclear warheads; and the dismantling of Iranian nuclear facilities.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the Iranian counter-proposal suggested a shorter moratorium, the export of part of the HEU stockpile and the dilution of the rest, and refusal to accept the dismantling of facilities.