Iran Submits Peace Proposal Containing Terms Washington Has Consistently Rejected

Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs, Kazem Gharibabadi, briefed members of Iran's parliamentary National Security and Foreign Policy Committee on May 19 on Tehran's latest peace proposal, according to the state-run IRNA news agency. Tehran's proposal calls for ending hostilities on all fronts, including in Lebanon, the withdrawal of U.S. forces from areas close to Iran, war reparations, the lifting of both U.S. and UN Security Council sanctions, the release of frozen Iranian assets, and an end to the U.S. maritime blockade restricting access to Iranian ports. [POLITICO]^[1] The package also asserts Iran's right to uranium enrichment and peaceful nuclear development, a position Tehran has maintained as a non-negotiable red line across multiple rounds of talks. Gharibabadi has repeatedly characterized uranium enrichment as a "red line" for the Islamic Republic, conditioning any final agreement on U.S. acceptance of that principle.^[2][3]

The proposal lands at direct odds with the core U.S. position. Washington's stated stance through 2025 and into 2026 has been that Iran must conduct "zero enrichment," a demand Tehran rejected on earlier occasions.^[4] The United States has proposed a framework prohibiting enrichment on Iranian soil, advocating instead for a regional consortium model under which civilian enrichment would occur in neighboring countries such as the United Arab Emirates or Saudi Arabia under international supervision.^[5] The enrichment dispute traces directly to the collapse of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. The United States unilaterally withdrew from the JCPOA in 2018, and despite periodic attempts to revive the deal since then, Iran accelerated its uranium enrichment, limited inspector access to its nuclear facilities, and is now closer to developing a nuclear weapon than before the deal.^[5] As of February 2025, the International Atomic Energy Agency reported Iran had increased its stockpile of 60 percent highly enriched uranium from 182 kilograms to 275 kilograms.^[5]

The diplomatic backdrop has been shaped by armed conflict. On Feb. 28, 2026, the United States and Israel began launching attacks against various targets in Iran following weeks of negotiations over limiting Iran's nuclear program and the reach of its military.^[6] Following nearly six weeks of conflict, Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced on April 8 that the U.S. and Iran had agreed to a conditional two-week ceasefire, during which talks would be held on a lasting agreement.^[4] Pakistan has since served as the channel for transmitting proposals between the parties. A Pakistani source confirmed that Islamabad had shared the Iranian proposal with Washington, while also noting that the sides "keep changing their goalposts" and warning that "we don't have much time."^[1] The constitutional authority for the U.S. military campaign has not been formally addressed by Congress. Under Article I, Section 8, Clause 11 of the Constitution, only Congress holds the authority to declare war, and the United States has not declared war on Iran, though President Donald Trump referred to the campaign as "major combat operations."^[6]

President Trump declined to accept Tehran's proposal but pulled back from a threat to resume strikes. Trump said the leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE persuaded him to call off renewed attacks to give talks a chance, and posted on Truth Social that "serious negotiations are now taking place."^[7] The terms described in Iranian reports appeared little changed from Iran's previous offer, which Trump rejected last week as "garbage."^[1] Earlier reporting indicated a prospective deal could involve Iran committing to a moratorium on nuclear enrichment, the Trump administration lifting sanctions and releasing billions in frozen Iranian funds, and both sides lifting restrictions on transit in the Strait of Hormuz.^[8] The two sides have been negotiating the duration of any such moratorium, with three sources citing at least 12 years and The Wall Street Journal reporting that one framework under discussion would halt enrichment for 12 to 15 years before allowing Iran to enrich up to 3.67 percent purity.^[8]

Iran's military signaled it is not prepared to absorb a renewed strike without escalating the conflict. Brig. Gen. Mohammad Akraminia, the Iranian Army's spokesman, speaking at a public gathering in Tehran, warned that if the United States "launches another aggression," Iran will "open new fronts against them with new tools and methods."^[9][10] Akraminia also said the armed forces treated the ceasefire period as a time of war, using it to strengthen combat capabilities, and asserted that Iran maintains full command over the Strait of Hormuz.^[9] Reestablishing freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz is widely regarded as a central issue in the current talks; Trump stated after the ceasefire announcement that the pause on U.S. strikes was subject to the "complete, immediate, and safe opening" of the waterway, while Iran has described the U.S. counter-blockade as a potential "prelude to a violation" of international norms.^[4] The Strait carries roughly one-fifth of the world's oil supply, making its status a live economic and strategic variable in any negotiated outcome. The conflict has yet to deprive Iran of its stockpile of near-weapons-grade enriched uranium or its ability to threaten neighbors with missiles, drones, and proxy militias.^[1]