Iran presses for an end to war within 30 days as Trump expresses doubts

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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran’s latest proposal to the United States calls for issues between the two countries to be resolved within 30 days and aims to end the war rather than extend the ceasefire, according to Iran’s state-linked media.

President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he was reviewing a new Iranian proposal to end the war but also expressed doubt it would lead to a deal.

Iran’s 14-point proposal calls for an end to the war, rather than just an extension of the truce. The proposal, a rebuttal to the U.S. nine-point plan, also calls for the U.S. lifting sanctions on Iran, ending the naval blockade, withdrawing forces from the region, and ceasing all hostilities, including Israel’s operations in Lebanon, according to the semiofficial Nour News agency, which has close ties to the country’s security organizations.

Iran sent its reply via a Pakistani intermediary, the news agency reported. Pakistan has hosted previous negotiations between Iran and the United States.

Pakistan's prime minister, foreign minister and army chief are continuing to push negotiations and encourage the U.S. and Iran to speak directly, according to two officials in Pakistan who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

Trump rejected a previous Iranian proposal this week. However, conversations have continued, and the fragile three-week ceasefire appears to be holding.

Also on Sunday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi spoke with Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr al Busaidi, who oversaw previous rounds of talks between the U.S. and Iran before the latest round of fighting.

The U.S. president also offered a new plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, where about a fifth of the world’s trade in oil and natural gas typically passes.

Iran’s deputy parliament speaker said on Sunday that Iran “will not back down from our position on the Strait of Hormuz, and it will not return to its prewar conditions.” Ali Nikzad, who has no decision-making power in parliament, made the comments while on a visit to port facilities on Iran’s strategic Larak Island, located close to the narrowest part of the strait.

“The Strait of Hormuz belongs to the Islamic Republic of Iran,” he said, adding that the country was working to compensate businesses and property damaged during the war, and that Trump's blockade plan was certain to fail.

Nikzad reiterated Iran’s position that any ships not associated with the U.S. or Israel will be able to pass after paying a toll. The U.S. has warned shipping companies they could face sanctions for paying Iran in any form, including digital assets, to pass safely.

Iran effectively closed the strait by attacking and threatening ships after the U.S. and Israel launched a war on Feb. 28. Tehran later offered some ships safe passage via routes closer to its shore, charging fees at times.

The U.S. has responded with a naval blockade of Iranian ports since April 13, depriving Tehran of oil revenue it needs to shore up its ailing economy.

On Sunday, the second day of Iran's working week, the rial weakened further against the U.S. dollar. In Tehran’s Ferdowsi Street, the capital’s main currency exchange hub, the dollar was trading at 1,840,000 rials. Analysts say there is a strong possibility the currency will slip further in the coming days.

The rial was trading at 1.3 million to the dollar in December, which at the time was a record low, and triggered w idespread protests over the worsening economy. Markets in Tehran remain unstable, with prices of some goods rising daily.

According to reports published in Iranian media, several factories have not renewed contracts for workers after the Iranian new year holidays, and significant numbers have lost their jobs.

Yousef Pezeshkian, the son and adviser of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, wrote on Telegram that both the United States and the Islamic Republic see themselves as the winner of the war and are unwilling to back down.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee urged Iran to immediately transfer jailed Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi for medical treatment in Tehran after her health sharply deteriorated.

The committee said it was in touch with Mohammadi’s family and lawyer, and that the 2023 prize winner’s life remains at risk without treatment by her dedicated medical team in Tehran.

Mohammadi fainted twice in prison on Friday in the northwestern city of Zanjan, her foundation said, and was admitted to a local hospital. Her lawyers have said she is believed to have suffered a heart attack in late March.

“Narges Mohammadi is imprisoned solely for her peaceful human rights work. Her life is now in the hands of the Iranian authorities,” Nobel committee chair Jørgen Watne Frydnes said.

Mohammadi, 53, a rights lawyer who won the prize while in prison, was arrested in December during a visit to the eastern Iranian city of Mashhad and sentenced to seven more years in prison.

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Lidman reported from Tel Aviv, Israel. Associated Press writers Amir Vahdat Tehran, Iran and Munir Ahmed in Islamabad contributed to this report.