Iran offers Pakistan two draft proposals

Iran’s latest reported offer to the United States fits into a negotiation track that has been running through Pakistan for weeks, not a sudden new channel. Reuters reported on May 18 that Pakistan had passed a revised Iranian proposal to Washington as talks over ending the conflict and reopening the Strait of Hormuz remained stuck. (usnews.com) A Pakistani source told Reuters the two sides “keep changing their goalposts,” underscoring how unsettled the diplomacy remained. (aljazeera.com) The immediate point of dispute is the Strait of Hormuz, the waterway Iran has threatened to control through closures, attacks, mining and tolling, according to U.S. statements and multiple earlier reports on the talks. Washington has pushed a U.N. Security Council resolution demanding that Iran stop attacks, mining and tolling in the strait and disclose mine locations. (state.gov) ### How does the reported “two draft proposals” claim fit the record so far? Reuters-linked reporting from April and May shows a pattern of revised frameworks, not a single settled text. On April 6, Reuters reported that Pakistan had proposed a two-stage plan to end the war and reopen the strait, with a memorandum of understanding to be finalized electronically through Pakistan. (usnews.com) On May 18, Reuters then reported a revised Iranian proposal had again been sent via Pakistan. That means the social-media claim about “two draft proposals” is directionally consistent with an existing negotiation process, but the exact wording and current terms in the posts could not be independently verified from primary reporting available today. The verified part is narrower: Pakistan has been conveying Iranian proposals, and those proposals have been revised over time. (state.gov) ### What has Pakistan’s role been? Pakistan’s role has been central in the reporting that is on the record. Reuters reported on April 6 that Pakistan was the “sole communication channel” in those talks, and that Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, had been in contact with U.S. Vice President JD Vance, special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. (aljazeera.com) A Pakistani source told Reuters on May 18 that Islamabad had shared Iran’s revised proposal with the United States. That source also said there was little time left and described the bargaining as fluid. ### What is Iran understood to want in exchange? Earlier Reuters and Axios reporting described Iranian demands in broad terms: sanctions relief, release of frozen assets and sequencing that would postpone harder nuclear issues until later stages. (aljazeera.com) An April 6 Reuters report said a final agreement was expected to include Iranian commitments on nuclear weapons in exchange for sanctions relief and the release of frozen assets. Axios reported on April 27 that Iran had proposed reopening Hormuz and ending the war first, while postponing nuclear talks. The specific social-media claims about U.S. compensation and troop withdrawals may reflect negotiating positions circulating around the talks, but those details were not confirmed in the primary sourced reports reviewed here. The verified public record supports sanctions relief and frozen assets as recurring issues in the channel Pakistan has been handling. (usnews.com) ### What has the United States said publicly? Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on May 22 that reopening the strait was not something that could be done immediately at that meeting, though he said announcements on force posture could come “later today” or “in the next few days.” Rubio has also said publicly that any Iranian tolling system in the strait would be illegal and unacceptable. (aljazeera.com) On May 5, the State Department said the United States and Gulf partners had drafted a U.N. Security Council resolution requiring Iran to cease attacks, mining and tolling in the Strait of Hormuz. That resolution is one of the clearest formal next steps to watch alongside any new Pakistani mediation or direct U.S. response to Tehran’s latest draft. (state.gov 1) (state.gov 2) (aljazeera.com)