Pakistan has shared with the US a revised proposal from Iran aimed at ending the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, Reuters reported on Monday as Fatih Birol, head of the International Energy Agency, warned that commercial oil inventories were depleting rapidly amid the war and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and that those inventories only had a few weeks left
Reuters’s Pakistani source indicated that indirect negotiations between Tehran and Washington remain active despite major disagreements.
"We don't have much time," the source said when asked if it would take time to close gaps, adding that both countries "keep changing their goalposts".
Through Pakistani mediators, Iran and the US have continued exchanging proposals, amendments and revised demands as efforts to reach a breakthrough remain stalled.
Iran had initially submitted a 14-point framework, which was rejected by Washington. Tehran later sent a revised response in an attempt to narrow differences. According to sources, Iran recently received fresh amendments from the US via Pakistan, reviewed them and conveyed its updated position back through the Pakistani channel.
The latest round of diplomacy comes amid reports of persistent disagreements over sanctions relief, the broader regional conflict and Iran’s nuclear programme.
Unconfirmed reports carried by Iran’s semi-official Fars News Agency claimed that the US had rejected lifting sanctions, opposed ending the conflict on all fronts and refused the full return of frozen Iranian assets. However, Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani Baghaei dismissed the reports as speculation.
One issue Iran has publicly refused to compromise on is uranium enrichment. Baghaei reiterated that Tehran considers its right to peaceful uranium enrichment “completely nonnegotiable”.
The issue remains a major sticking point in the talks, with the US reportedly demanding zero uranium enrichment by Iran for at least two decades.
Tehran considers such a timeframe excessive. However, sources familiar with the negotiations suggest Iran may be willing to show some flexibility by considering a shorter suspension period of three to five years.
International Energy Agency warning
Fatih Birol, head of the International Energy Agency, said at the G7 meeting in Paris that the release of strategic oil reserves had added 2.5 million barrels of oil per day to the market, but that these reserves were not endless.
Birol has earlier said that this is the most severe energy crisis the world has ever experienced.