US, Iran and mediators discuss terms for a 45-day ceasefire

[Twiglets1]

As reported by Axios, the U.S., Iran and a group of regional mediators are discussing the terms for a potential 45-day ceasefire that could lead to a permanent end to the war, according to four U.S., Israeli and regional sources with knowledge of the talks.

Four sources with knowledge of the diplomatic efforts said the negotiations are taking place through Pakistani, Egyptian and Turkish mediators and also through text messages sent between Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff and Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

• A U.S. official said the Trump administration gave Iran several proposals in recent days, but so far Iranian officials hadn't accepted them.
• The sources said the mediators are discussing with the parties the terms for two-phased deal; the first phase would a potential 45-day ceasefire during which a permanent end to the war would be negotiated.
• The ceasefire could be extended if more time were needed for talks, one of the sources said.
• The second phase would be an agreement on ending the war.
• The sources said mediators think that fully reopening the Strait of Hormuz and a solution for Iran's highly enriched Uranium — either through its removal from the country or dilution — could only be a result of a final deal.
• These two issues are Iran's main bargaining chips in the negotiations and the Iranians will not agree to fully give up on them for only 45 days of ceasefire, two of the sources said.
• The mediators want to see whether Iran could take partial step on both issues in the first phase of the deal. They are also working on steps the Trump administration could take to give Iran guarantees that the ceasefire will not be temporary and that the war will not resume.

www.axios.com/2026/04/06/iran-war-us-tehran-ceasefire-talks

In the long run the US might be doing us a favour if they stop Iran developing nuclear weapons. I don’t suppose the Iranian regime likes the UK much with our US air bases & government friendly to the US & Israel.

So I’m not sure the US are really working against the best interests of Europe? It’s highly debatable of course and after the war, public opinion will partly depend on how successful they were in achieving their aims. If they do manage to curtail Iran’s capability to develop a nuclear weapon for 20 years say, that will be a big reassurance to all those countries who have publicly stated that Iran must never be allowed to develop nuclear weapons.

If on the other hand the US fail to strike a better deal with Iran than the Obama one that Trump tore up, they will be judged a lot more harshly and the economic pain will feel like it’s all for nothing.

@Twiglets1
That’s very true and posters shouldn’t try to stop others engaging in discussions they wish to. It’s interesting thinking about US response - that’s why people want to post about it.

But I don’t want to derail this thread any further talking about this, so I’ll leave it there.

I'm not disputing the fact that US Iran talks will take place at some point in the future. The sooner the better for the US, Iran and the whole world.

As you said, The Iranian regime aren't frozen in time, they are doing new things too. They've gone on a charm offensive. A tour to recruit allies, gather intelligence and "promote bonds".

Iran is strengthening its hand before it talks to the US. Meanwhile, the US is weakened with every day this war continues.😒

They’ve gone on a charm offensive! 😂

Thank you - that made me smile.

I’m sure they have their strengths - they don’t take any shit I’ll give them that. But charm … no … I don’t think they will be making any new allies any time soon with their nasty habit of blowing up things in neighbouring countries.

You may say - that was justified! But the countries affected probably don’t see it that way and will want more than charm to trust Iran again.

I don’t think they will be making any new allies any time soon

Then you are ignoring the reality of what is happening.

Who are their new allies?

If you want to know who's talking to who and what the message is, its out there. We're talking about it here on this thread.

My Enemy's Enemy is my Friend. America has made a lot of enemies. Iran is making friends.

Who is Iran making friends with? I haven’t seen that Iran has any new allies only old ones. But if you know of any new ones, now would be a good time to mention them since you’re talking about it on this thread.

Ah well if you think there's nothing to worry about with Iran's schmooz campaign good for you.

How do you think talks to end this war are going?

It doesn’t seem very debatable. The US is hurting all of Europe with the Iranian war that nobody wanted or agreed to. This is happening within the context of the Trump administration being openly hostile towards the EU, which as a result is at the start of a process of “derisking” itself from the US and is speaking very openly about this.

In the meamtime not even Trump himself seems to think the war was a good idea now, And almost everyone seems in agreement that it was started with a lack of strategy and no out plan.

Not new allies exactly. but, because of the US, the world order is shifting and that brings uncertainty, risk and chaos. Now, the EU is floating the idea that they could ease sanctions on Iran.

The only certainty is that the US isn’t doing us any favours.

Saudi Arabia has a defence pact with Pakistan, which I imagine will be acting to reconcile differences with Iran. Saudi Arabia has allowed in Iranian Haj pilgrims, suggesting that they want to promote a peaceful resolution with Iran.

Agree. Iran does not really need new allies. What it needs is its existing allies to become stronger, And Trump is doing that for them. A new world order, as you say.

Charm offensive ? Yes. They are playing the "ancient civilization card" card. That will appeal to the PRC because the CPC claim the same. That they are the guardians of 5k years of history. It will also appeal to other authoritarian states because it is a good way for them to claim to be legitimate.

It should not be forgotten that it was right there in the Iran Peace deal terms. They want Gulf States to throw the Americans out. That will be a big win for them. And while Trump and his acolytes claim Iran is being irrational in attacking it's neighbours, the rest of the world say, "hmm, that makes sense, how dumb is Trump ?"

And what is Iran " offering" the likes of Putin and Xi ? How about the collapse of NATO? The rise of BRICS. Potentially the end of the petrodollar. Anti US sentiment is another massive win. Because while Iran itself might not gain from that worldwide directly, Xi and Putin will. Especially Xi. Anti US sentiment in the Philippines for example put's pro US aligned Marcos in danger come election time, while giving pro Beijing candidates a big lift.

And this all leads to the UN. Because the more state level alignments the authoritarians pick up, the more votes they gain in the UN. Pretty handy when it comes to sanctions. And lets face it, the world is getting fed up with the US and it's unilateral punitive sanctions and tariffs.

A new world order. A shift from a US hegemony to a PRC one. The rise of BRICS and the Global South.

All it would take is for one Gulf state to swap. The UAE for example. Chuck the Americans out and offer Xi a foothold. That would change everything.

Re shooting protestors. Lets not forget that might come in handy for many. Gulf States for example, Remember the Arab Spring ?

So you can’t name any new allies Iran has made. That will be because while you are only noticing US actions & going on about how isolated they are, other countries judge Iran actions too.

Diplomatically, it did not make sense for Iran to attack their neighbours as some kind of proxy for attacking the US. It isn’t the way to make new friends. They still have their old friends but they’ve just reminded the rest of the world how volatile they are, even to those that thought they were already allies.

@RedTagAlan people are dreaming with their talk of a new world order - probably been watching too much James Bond or Marvel as that’s how cartoon villains talk.

You mention the UAE but relations between them and Iran have never been worse. While they used to enjoy diplomatic relations, the UAE signalled a breakdown in that when they closed their embassy in Tehran on March 1st 2026.

From Wikipedia “following the targeting of Al Dhafra air base and civilian infrastructure by the IRGC, the UAE Ministry of Interior began a widespread crackdown on IRGC-linked espionage networks within the country”.

@RedTagAlan Unfortunately, people who are uneducated on History and Geopolitics will fail to comprehend what you just said.

It's been written about:

In The Grand Chessboard (1997), Zbigniew Brzezinski argued that US supremacy requires controlling Eurasia to prevent rivals from dominating the continent. He identified a potential "anti-hegemonic" coalition of China, Russia, and Iran—united by grievances against the US—as the most dangerous scenario, urging US strategy to prevent this bloc

Successive American Presidents acting not in the interests of America but the donor class (including lobbying for 5foreign countries) have made this a reality. Trump’s failure of diplomacy has likely solidified this relationship for generations.

Who needs new friends, when your 2 biggest friends have an unmatched industrial base and control 50% of the world's nukes.

By the way a new world order is happening, the Global South/Majority is rising.

Iran offers U.S. deal to reopen strait but postpone nuclear talks

Iran gave the U.S. a new proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end the war, with nuclear negotiations postponed for a later stage, according to a U.S. official and two sources with knowledge.

But lifting the blockade and ending the war would remove President Trump's leverage in any future talks to remove Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium and convince Tehran to suspend enrichment — two primary war objectives for Trump.

Trump signalled in an interview with Fox News on Sunday that he wants to continue the naval blockade that is choking off Iran's oil exports, hoping it will get Tehran to cave over the next few weeks.

"When you have vast amounts of oil pouring through your system ... if for any reason this line is closed because you can't put it into containers or ships ... what happens is that line explodes from within. ... They say they only have about three days before that happens," Trump said.

Behind the scenes: Araghchi raised the plan to bypass the nuclear issue during his meetings in Islamabad, two sources with knowledge said.

www.axios.com/2026/04/27/iran-us-hormuz-strait-nuclear-talks-proposal-pakistan

Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.
Napoleon Bonaparte

This may very well be China’s approach to the U.S. war with Iran.

https://www.khan.co.kr/en/article/202604021641047#ENT

Glad it has been clarified that Iran doesn't have any new allies - we got there in the end.

Raising the nuclear threat from Iran's two old friends isn't really the way to convince other world leaders that Iran should be allowed to develop nuclear weapons too @BelleHathor

Even Trump - crazy and inflammatory as his rhetoric is - has stated that he would not use a nuclear weapon in the war against Iran.

"Why would I use a nuclear weapon? We've totally, in a very conventional way, decimated them without it," Trump told reporters at the White House when asked whether he would use such a weapon.

So you are being more dramatic than him in suggesting nuclear weapons as some kind of solution for Iran, Who needs new friends, when your 2 biggest friends have an unmatched industrial base and control 50% of the world's nukes.

https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/trump-says-iran-may-have-reloaded-during-two-week-truce-2026-04-23/

Interesting article.

The Economist also pointed to blind spots in Chinese optimism. It argued that although China likes to complain about Western values, it has prospered under the order that the United States has worked to maintain; if the U.S.-led world order wobbles, the export-led Chinese economy would be hit and rule by the Chinese Communist Party would face added difficulties.

The Economist further reported that the Chinese leadership is surprised by the AI-enabled operational capabilities the U.S. military has shown in this war and is unlikely to try to bring forward a ‘Taiwan invasion’.

I am not sure that Iran’s bombing if its neighbours has increased unity in the BRICS though @RedTagAlan @BelleHathor

https://www.msn.com/en-za/news/other/brics-in-turmoil-indias-challenge-to-restore-unity/ar-AA21GuK9

What I think it has done is question the reliance of Gulf States on the U.S. to keep them safe and that negotiations with Iran and attempts to rebuild bridges will be important. U.S.’s end game does appear very unclear. There may be questions about the presence of U.S. bases in the gulf, but I can’t see them entirely going either. I have read that this will lead to proliferation of countries wanting nuclear weapons.

Other countries may be forced to hold their noses in their alliance with Iran. Some countries will use Iran war for their own ends (China and Russia).

Do you want to copy and paste the whole article or just those bits selectively?
I’ll let people actually read the whole article for its more nuanced take.

It may not be in China’s (nor anyone else’s interest) for US power to crumble precipitously- but that’s not what is happening? Countries across the globe are realising that life under US hegemony has changed and countries have to stand more on their two feet. Comments from Trump’s government have made that absolutely clear (other than for Israel for some reason).

The thing is @islands not everyone can read articles that we link to.

@RedTagAlan for example has mentioned several times that she lives somewhere that blocks lots of media sources from being accessible.

Ideally yes the whole article would be copy & pasted so everyone can have equal access to everything. But that would get criticised too so I just copy & paste the bits where I am making a point based on something that I read in an article.

I think you will find that the reason Trump thinks Israel needs more support to stand on it’s one two feet than most countries is that were it not for the billions Israel has spent on defensive measures like the Iron Dome, the single Jewish state in the world would have been destroyed by now by Iran and their allies Hamas & Hezbollah.