As more US troops en route to the Middle East, Iran rejects the peace program.

New York: President Donald Trump reportedly welcomed a “very great present” that the United States plans to send thousands of additional troops to the Middle East as it alluded to advance in peace negotiations with Iran.

Trump said Iran wanted to make a offer” but hard” and that he was now interested in a stalemate, a change from all days before, which was met with mixed signals as the conflict approached its four-week level.

Additionally, it became clear that the US had delivered to Iran a 15-point peace plan through intermediaries prior to any potential in-person discussions starting this week.

However, an anonymous official, who was cited by Iranian state television’s English-language broadcaster Press TV on Wednesday, claimed Iran rejected America’s request for a ceasefire.

The official was quoted as saying,” Iran will end the war when it decides to do so and when its own conditions are met.”

Press TV received a five-point plan from the official who turned down the US suggestion. It included a stop to the killings of its officials, measures to ensure that no additional wars are waged against it, reparations for the war, the end of hostilities, and Iran’s “exercise of sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz” ( Exercise of sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz ).

According to The Wall Street Journal, Iran was still making extortionate and unrealistic demands, including the closure of all American bases in the Gulf and the right to carry out its missile program without restrictions. Unconfirmed reports also surfaced that Iran had requested to meet with Vice President J. D. Vance, whose skepticism about the military operation against Iran has been widely aired.

The Iranian government has also continued to use propaganda to insult the US, and on Wednesday, it released another animated video in the style of Lego that makes an apparent reference to the US attacking an elementary school in southern Iran on the first day of the conflict, killing at least 165 people.

The 84-second video ends with bombs pouring down on ostensibly American cities and Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump crying in a situation room next to a US service member and a horned demon named Baal.

Trump cryptically addressed a alleged gift the Iranians had given during a discussion on Tuesday ( US time ). He remarked,” They did something amazing yesterday. ” The present arrived today, and they gave us a present.”

It was a very significant present that was extremely expensive. Although I’m not going to reveal what the present was, it was a very significant prize.

He later stated that the concession concerned the transportation of oil and gas through the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial shipping passage that has been effectively closed because Iran has strict control over which vessels are allowed through.

Trump claimed that the gift “was a very nice thing” and that it demonstrated how effective the US was in dealing with the right people. According to reports, his team, which includes special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner, are conversing with Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of the Iranian parliament, and associates.

Analysts questioned whether a fruitful agreement with the Iranian regime was possible given Trump’s growing desire to win and strike a deal.

Washington still doesn’t understand Iran or where it is headed, according to Dan Citrinowicz, an expert on Iran at the Israel-based Institute for National Security Studies, on X.

Trump now has three options: accept Iran’s terms, withdraw from the talks, or accept an empty framework that will make the war over without any progress.

Additionally, it was unclear whether the United States ‘ allies and partners in the area would support a ceasefire right now. Israel, which has stated it is not a part of the discussions, has made it clear that it wants to end the Iranian regime, while Gulf nations like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are reportedly calling for Iran’s combatant ability to be further diminished.

Trump claimed that the current regime had already been altered. The leaders are all very different from the ones that we started with and that contributed to all those issues, he said. I believe we can say that this has changed the system.

Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the assassinated supreme leader Ali Khamenei, is purported to be Iran’s new supreme leader, but he has not been publicly seen since taking the position and has not provided proof of life.

The elite 82nd Airborne Division of the US military was being sent to the Middle East, according to a report that was widely reported on Tuesday night ( US time ). According to the reports, the number of soldiers ranged from 1000 to 4000, and it was unknown whether they would be stationed in Iran.

However, according to analysts, sending troops in place of US marines already heading for the area was in opposition to claims of progress toward a deal.

Arash Reisinezhad, a visiting assistant professor at Tufts University’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, said that Trump’s decision to postpone strikes on Iranian power plants should not be taken as a de-escalation. It may help to stabilize markets and prevent oil shocks, as well as provide time for military positioning.

Pakistan is emerging as a key intermediary in potential US-Irani talks. Asim Munir, the country’s army chief, has come into the picture as an interlocutor after speaking with Trump at the White House last year.

Brent crude’s price dropped once more on Tuesday as a result of the signs that a resolution to end the war, or at least the US’s participation in it, was closer.

The White House was reluctant to confirm any details of the talks with Iran, aside from Trump’s remarks, which he made during a press conference in the Oval Office.

” These are sensitive diplomatic discussions, and the US will not negotiate through the press,” said Karoline Leavitt, Trump’s press secretary. Because this is a dynamic situation, rumors about meetings shouldn’t be regarded as final until the White House formally announces them.

Not the only indication that the war could escalate rather than fade was the US’s continued deployment in the area. The Lebanese health ministry reports that Israel bombed several targets in southern Lebanon, killing nine and adding to the country’s already-high 1000 death toll.

After bombing bridges along a crucial river that will serve as a new demarcation line, Israel also announced plans to occupy a” security zone” in southern Lebanon, a Hezbollah stronghold.

Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron stated that he had spoken with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and that he needed to” stop Iran’s” perverse attacks” against regional nations and restore free navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

I urged Iran to engage in good faith negotiations to elude de-escalation and establish a framework that can fulfill the expectations of the international community regarding Iran’s nuclear and missile programs as well as its destabilizing regional activities, Macron said.

With staff reporter and agencies and David Crowe.

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