Iran does not intend to make concessions on its nuclear program for the sake of a truce with US: The Wall Street Journal

Peace negotiators are pressing Iran to make a concession on its nuclear program to revive ceasefire talks with the U.S. after President Trump rejected Tehran’s truce proposal, in a race to stop the conflict from escalating back into all-out war, The Wall Street Journal reports.

Mediators involved in the talks said it is a long-shot bid to get Iran to placate Trump on the issue he cares about most. Trump has tried to reframe the conflict around his original war goal of preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, and redirect talks away from unlocking the Strait of Hormuz from Iran’s grip. In a speech to the United Nations last week, Trump said he was weighing whether to “annihilate” Iran’s government to keep it from gaining a nuclear bomb.

However, Iran has reportedly given little indication to mediators that it is prepared to discuss its nuclear program.

Previously, the Iranian side proposed to the U.S. that if the U.S. lifted the maritime blockade, returned frozen funds, declared a ceasefire on all fronts, and lifted sanctions on Iranian crude oil exports, it could reopen the Strait of Hormuz within seven days.

However, President Trump stated the previous day that he had rejected the proposal.

He claimed that Iran is "getting defeated so badly that they want to make a deal to open the strait immediately."

President Trump has been attempting to reframe the current conflict back to his original goal of preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

In his UN General Assembly speech on September 22, he also reiterated his principle of a denuclearized Iran, stating that he would never tolerate Iran possessing nuclear weapons.

The WSJ pointed out that while mediators are trying to extract nuclear concessions from Iran to appease President Trump, the likelihood of Iran accepting this is realistically slim.

Middle Eastern officials communicating with the Iranian side stated that the Iranian leadership is confident it can withstand a long-term U.S. blockade or a resumption of bombing campaigns, and wants the U.S. to make concessions first before negotiations proceed.

They cited the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) seizing power in Iran and maintaining a hardline stance as the reason why it is difficult to foresee a forward-looking attitude from Iran.