Iran Seeks Guarantees Before the Guns Fall Silent

Iran signalled it would not end the war on Washington's terms, demanding reparations, guarantees against renewed attack and recognised authority over the Strait of Hormuz.

By Friday, the question was no longer whether Tehran would answer Washington. It was on what terms it would agree to speak at all.

Iran is expected to deliver its response to a United States peace proposal aimed at ending the war that has convulsed the Middle East since late February, according to Reuters¹ and a source briefed on the matter. But the shape of that response, as described by a separate source in Washington, makes clear that Tehran is not approaching these exchanges as a defeated power seeking terms. It is presenting itself as a state demanding political recognition, strategic guarantees and compensation for the costs of war.

That distinction matters.

The proposal under review, a 15 point framework reportedly sent through Pakistan, was said to include demands that would cut to the centre of Iran’s security doctrine, from dismantling its nuclear programme to curbing missile development and, in effect, surrendering control over the Strait of Hormuz. For Tehran, that was never l…