Iran receives 15-point US ceasefire plan via Pakistan to end Mideast war

Iran has received a 15-point plan from the United States to end the Middle East war, Pakistani officials said on Wednesday, raising hopes for a diplomatic solution even as Iran said it have fired a volley of cruise missiles at a US aircraft carrier.

A conflict that began on Feb.28 with a US-Israeli bombing campaign on Iran has rapidly engulfed the entire region, sending oil prices skyrocketing and threatening to derail the global economy.

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed progress in talks with Iran in recent days, even though Tehran has denied any negotiations were taking place. But fledgling diplomatic activity appeared to be gaining momentum after two senior officials in Islamabad told AFP that American proposals to stop the fighting had been "conveyed to Iran" through Pakistani intermediaries.

Pakistan is being touted as a possible mediator given its longstanding ties with both neighbouring Iran and the United States, as well as close contacts in the region.

Diplomatically, the two sides offered conflicting accounts, even though mediators in the region said work was ongoing behind the scenes to relay messages.

"There is hope but it's too early to be optimistic," said a diplomatic source in the region, who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive issues.

Both sides need to be able to climb down without losing face, the source noted.

In public, Iran kept up its belligerent rhetoric, with the speaker of Iran's parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, warning the US: "Do not test our resolve to defend our land."

According to Israel's Channel 12, Trump's proposals include a ceasefire during which the sides would discuss a 15-point agreement that would include a ban on Iran enriching uranium on its soil and the reopening of the vital Strait of Hormuz oil route.

Iran in turn would see sanctions relief, according to the report.

The Trump administration similarly offered a 15-point plan before a shorter Israeli and US bombing campaign against Iran in June.

Iran had agreed in 2015 to broad restraints on its contested nuclear programme in a deal that Trump ripped up during his first term as he joined Israel in applying pressure to the cleric-run state.

Agence France-Presse