Iran suspects trick in US offer for talks — Axios
Sources cited by the news portal say that the deployment of major troop reinforcements by the US has strengthened the suspicions in Tehran
WASHINGTON, March 25. /TASS/. Iran believes that the US proposal to hold talks in Islamabad may turn out to be a trick, Axios cited sources as saying.
Iran representatives told the mediators from Pakistan, Egypt and Turkey that that U.S. military movements and Trump's decision to deploy major troop reinforcements "have increased their suspicion that his proposal for peace talks is just a ruse." According to Axios, representatives of the Islamic republic note that they "do not want to be fooled again" since the attacks on Iran last June and on February 28 this year were carried out in the midst of the negotiations.
Axios says that the United States sees a 15-point plan for ending the conflict handed over to Iran as a basis for negotiations. According to Axios, representatives of the American administration expect to understand whether Tehran is ready to make concessions that it was not ready for during previous negotiations. However, the portal's source in the White House said that the United States is still considering switching to the ground phase of the operation against Iran, but no final decision has yet been made.
N12 TV channel earlier quoted an Israeli official as saying that a meeting between representatives of the United States and Iran may take place at the end of this week in Islamabad. Earlier, The New York Times quoted sources as saying that the United States had sent a 15-point plan to Iran to end the Middle East conflict. According to the paper, the plan addresses the issues of Iran’s missile and nuclear programs and the freedom of navigation.
On March 23, American leader Donald Trump said the United States and Iran had held constructive talks over the past two days on ending hostilities in the Middle East. He also said that he had ordered the Pentagon to postpone attacks on the republic's energy infrastructure for five days. However, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei told the IRNA news agency that Tehran had not held any talks with Washington, but had outlined its position to the mediators.