Iran rejects US 15-point truce plan as ‘excessive and unrealistic’ amid Middle East tensions, while Trump threatens strikes on energy infrastructure if deal fails, reports Asian Lite Newsdesk
Iran on Monday rejected a United States-proposed 15-point truce plan aimed at ending the ongoing Middle East conflict, calling the proposals “very excessive, unrealistic, and unreasonable,” according to Esmaeil Baghaei.
At a Tehran press conference, Baghaei criticised the US approach, saying Washington’s positions are inconsistent and contradictory, unlike Iran’s clear stance from the beginning. “We know very well what our desired framework is. As I mentioned earlier, the materials conveyed under various titles, such as the ‘15-point plan,’ mainly include very excessive, unrealistic, and unreasonable demands,” he said.
Baghaei stressed that Iran has not engaged in direct negotiations with the US so far. Since the last round of talks in Geneva on February 26, Iran has received messages via intermediaries, including Pakistan, indicating Washington’s willingness to negotiate. However, Iran has refrained from participating in meetings held by Pakistan involving neighbouring states, and it intends to announce its response to the plan in due course.
The remarks come amid heightened tensions in the region following joint attacks by Israel and the United States on Iranian cities on February 28, which Iran claims resulted in the deaths of senior officials and civilians. Iran responded with missile and drone strikes targeting Israeli and US assets in the Middle East.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump issued a stern warning on Monday, signalling that key Iranian energy infrastructure could be targeted if a deal is not reached and the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened. Trump claimed that talks with what he called a “new, more reasonable regime” in Iran were making progress, adding that a deal could be imminent.
“If for any reason a deal is not shortly reached… and if the Hormuz Strait is not immediately ‘Open for Business,’ we will… completely obliterate all of their electric generating plants, oil wells, and Kharg Island,” Trump said, also warning that desalination plants could potentially be targeted. He framed the threat as retribution for American soldiers and others who had been killed under Iran’s previous regime.
