With the conflict in the Middle East entering its fourth week, backchannel diplomacy appears to have gained momentum between the United States and Iran, with intermediaries from both countries exploring the possibility of a ceasefire.
According to a report by Axios, top aides of US President Donald Trump — Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff — are involved in potential diplomacy to lay the groundwork for peace talks.
While communication channels between the US and Iran have fallen silent for days, messages are being passed through Egypt, Qatar and the U.K., the report said.
Egypt and Qatar have informed the US that Iran is willing to come to the negotiating table, albeit with strong terms that Washington is not yet ready to accept.
“The Iranian demands include a ceasefire, guarantees that the war will not resume in the future, and compensation,” the report, citing unnamed US officials, said.
Earlier this week, US President Donald Trump himself signalled that he is considering “winding down” operations in Iran.
According to the Axios report, the US wants Iran to make six commitments, including no missile programme for five years, zero uranium enrichment, and no financing for proxies such as Hezbollah and Hamas.
Decommissioning the Natanz, Isfahan and Fordow nuclear facilities, strict external observation protocols around the creation and use of centrifuges, and arms control treaties with regional countries that include a missile cap no higher than 1,000 are the remaining three US demands.
Besides, the US would also likely want Iran to allow uninterrupted energy supply through the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route that remains effectively closed since the start of the US-Israel-Iran war.