US says Iran’s peace proposal rejected over upfront sanctions relief

US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said the United States turned down Iran’s proposal to end the ongoing conflict because Tehran “were asking for everything up front”.

Speaking on CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday, Waltz echoed President Donald Trump’s remarks from the previous day, stating that Iran had sought “relief from billions and billions of sanctions that are going into place” as part of an economic blockade.

The blockade, according to the US, is intended to pressure Iran to cease attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. Waltz argued that the demand for comprehensive sanctions relief before any cease‑fire was not a basis for good‑faith negotiations.

US position on negotiations

Waltz maintained that the US rejection was consistent with its policy of not conceding to what it described as excessive demands, and suggested that any future talks would need to address the sanctions issue more gradually.

Source: The Guardian. Photo: Mark Stebnicki / Pexels.