Apparently secret negotiations to end the war are the reason why Donald Trump be Attack ultimatum to the Iran stopped for now. The US President spoke on Monday of “productive talks,” while Iranian politicians denied it. As several American and British media reports, there are actually complex indirect negotiations between the two warring parties.

They agree that on the American side, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff are leading the talks. The two have already been deployed as a negotiating duo to talk about peace in Gaza and Ukraine.

USA distrusts Oman as an intermediary for Iran, Qatar is cautious

However, there are said to have been no direct negotiations with Iranian representatives so far. Instead, the talks are apparently taking place through several intermediaries. Before the war began, Oman assumed this role in the nuclear negotiations. How “Axios” writes, Americans and Omanis distrust each other. That’s why the USA looked for other mediators.

According to the report, attention has fallen on Qatar and Egypt, among others. The two states are also said to have informed the USA and Israel that Iran was fundamentally willing to talk. The problem, according to “Axios”: According to US officials, Qatar has proven itself to be a trustworthy mediator in the Gaza talks, but does not want to play a major role in the Iran negotiations. This could be because Qatar itself is already an Iranian target in war has become.

The “telegraph” reported that over the weekend Egypt, Pakistan and Turkey transmitted messages between the US and Iran. The “Wall Street Journal” writes that Oman also used its diplomatic channels, as did France and Great Britain. The foreign ministers of Egypt, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are said to have met last Thursday to work out their own way out of the war as states in the region.

It is unclear who has negotiating power in Iran

It seems similarly unclear who would be a suitable contact on the Iranian side. Many high-ranking officials eliminated the USA and Israel in the war. The new Supreme Leader Moschtaba Khamenei is apparently wounded and may even be unresponsive.

An obvious option would be for Abbas Araghchi to lead the talks. The Iranian foreign minister was already involved in the nuclear negotiations. The “Wall Street Journal” reports that the US side is not particularly keen on reviving this conversation channel, which has so far been of little use.

According to Axios, Trump’s advisers would view Araghchi as a “fax machine.” Although the Foreign Minister can conduct negotiations, he is not authorized by the regime in Tehran to make decisions.

As an alternative, the reports bring Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf into play. The speaker of Iran’s parliament is one of the few remaining senior officials who could persuade Iran’s political leadership and hardliners to accept a deal, experts say. As a former commander of the Revolutionary Guard, he is held in high regard.

Apparently there is a 15-point plan on the table

The Telegraph reports that US negotiators Kushner and Witkoff are said to have actually been in indirect contact with Ghalibaf. The Iranian himself dismisses this as “fake news”. This could indicate that the speaker of parliament is not acting on behalf of the entire regime – possibly because there is division over whether and under what conditions there should be negotiations.

According to reports, specific demands were exchanged during the indirect secret negotiations. According to the Telegraph, this resulted in a 15-point plan. This is similar to what Kushner and Witkoff did in the peace talks on Gaza and Ukraine. Other media also write about concrete demands, but not specifically about a 15-point plan.

Iran should end its nuclear program and the USA should close a base

According to the reports, the US is positioning itself as follows in the potential agreement:

• The USA and Israel promise not to launch any further attacks.
• The United States wants to dismantle Iran’s nuclear program. Tehran should commit to stopping uranium enrichment and decommissioning the nuclear facilities in Natans, Isfahan and Fordow.
• In addition, Iran should commit to halting its ballistic missile development program for five years.

The Iranian side opposes this:

• The USA is to completely close its largest base in the region with 50,000 soldiers.
• In addition, the United States should give a guarantee that it will not start any further wars in the region.
• Tehran also wants reparations for the damage caused by the war. The USA is apparently prepared to make financial concessions, but more in the form of releasing frozen assets.

Direct talks could take place in Pakistan with Vance

According to reports, there will be further discussions about these points in the near future. These could take place this week in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad directly between the USA and Iran with the participation of mediators.

The “Wall Street Journal” and the “Telegraph” are considering that JD Vance could also arrive. That would be a remarkable signal, since the US Vice President has positioned himself within the government as an opponent of the war.