Iran considering US proposal to end war, official says — BBC News

[0:04] Hello, I'm Maryam Moshiri and this is the Iran War Today, our daily briefing bringing you up [0:09] to date with all you need to know on day 68 of the U.S.-Israel war with Iran. Well, let's start [0:15] with some of today's key developments. Iranian officials review a new U.S. proposal to end the [0:21] war. Meanwhile, Donald Trump threatens the most intense strikes yet if a deal isn't reached. [0:27] We'll head to Washington and speak to our correspondent who's been at the White House [0:31] assessing the details of claims and counterclaims of a possible deal. [0:36] Global oil prices have dipped below $100 per barrel following those reports of a possible [0:41] agreement. Our deputy economics editor, Darshini David, will break down what impact this could [0:46] have on inflation and jet fuel supplies. And in the last 24 hours, we've had rumors of a deal that [0:52] would loosen Tehran's grip on the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. is saying it would pause its operation to [0:58] guide ships through the strait. Our world affairs correspondent will give us the big picture of [1:03] where we are in the conflict. Let's begin now in Iran, where the regime in Tehran says it's [1:13] still considering a new U.S. proposal to end the war. President Trump has issued an ultimatum [1:19] to Iran telling them to accept the deal and reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face intense renewed [1:25] U.S. bombing. Well, first, let's cross to the region and speak to our correspondent, Carrie [1:30] Davies, who's in Dubai. Carrie, the first question, what is Tehran saying about the current standoff? [1:36] Well, of course, the initial sound, the fact that Iran has acknowledged that they are looking [1:43] at this proposal does sound positive. But let's hear some of the other things that we've started [1:47] to hear as well from Iran, too. We heard from one spokesperson who said that Iran will deliver [1:54] harsh and regret-inducing response, that they've also said that Iran would not be obtaining through [2:03] a failed war what they failed to gain in face-to-face negotiations. Talking about, as well, some Iranian [2:09] spokespeople talking about this being a wish list rather than reality. And also discussions about [2:15] Iran having its finger on the trigger, too, which is not dissimilar to the sort of language [2:19] we've heard from President Trump, saying that if Iran does not agree to some form of deal, [2:24] that there will be some form of further bombing, that that would be even more severe, President [2:29] Trump said, than previously. So both sides talking tough in this situation. But, of course, [2:34] what we don't know, what we don't know because we can't see what's going on behind closed doors, [2:39] is how much the two sides have any form of common ground. Are they genuinely making some [2:43] form of movement? Are they finding some sort of commonality that could lead to some form [2:49] of recognition or a deal? That is really difficult to know. So on one side, we're hearing some [2:55] form of positive noises from both sides. We're also hearing tough talk, too. [2:59] And of course, Pakistani sources seem to be suggesting to some media outlets that a deal [3:04] could be in the offing. So how should we read that, Carrie? Is it credible? [3:09] I think it's really difficult to know exactly what that necessarily means. And that is partly [3:17] because we've had some of these anonymous sourcing from Pakistan before. I would also just premise [3:23] this by saying that there was a lot of scepticism that Pakistan would be able to pull off the [3:27] first round of talks. Again, a lot of anonymous sourcing suggesting behind the scenes the people [3:32] I was speaking to were saying that they felt confident that they would. And despite that scepticism, [3:36] that first round of talks did happen, the most senior delegation from the U.S. and from the [3:41] Iranian side to meet in person since 1979. So to some extent, that means that a lot of [3:47] the sort of credibility has been regained by a lot of those Pakistani sources who were really [3:51] saying this could genuinely happen. However, the fact that that second round of talks didn't [3:57] occur also means that it's really difficult to know exactly whether or not there was a lot [4:02] of talking up of those talks for that second round. And ultimately, they didn't yet materialise. [4:05] So it's really hard to know whether or not a lot of the rumours being read correctly. [4:10] And of course, Pakistan really wants these negotiations to happen. They want to have [4:15] serious talks and ideally they want to see this sort of all resolved too. And they have [4:21] been really active in that and been acting in promoting themselves as being the mediators [4:26] on this world stage too. So whether or not Pakistan can be viewed as knowing definitely what [4:32] Iran is going to be doing next, whether this is really tangible and very close to the [4:35] table, they might be able to know. We just don't know until we finally get both sides [4:41] coming out with something a bit more concrete. At the moment, there's a lot of whispers behind [4:45] closed doors, behind this diplomatic curtain, and it's really hard to know which direction [4:49] it's going to go. [4:50] OK. Yep. Carrie, thank you very much indeed. Well, the status of the Hormuz Strait and whether [4:55] it's open to shipping or not has presented a disorientating picture in the last few days. [5:01] So let's remind you, President Trump announced Project Freedom on Sunday, arguing it was a [5:06] humanitarian gesture to help seafarers stuck in the Gulf. On Monday, Iran claimed a U.S. [5:12] warship had been hit by two missiles, while the U.S. said it had attacked seven Iranian fast [5:17] boats. Both sides rejected these claims. [5:20] Well, on Tuesday, the U.S. Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, confirmed two commercial ships [5:25] had passed through, showing the lane is clear and Iran is embarrassed, in his words. The [5:30] Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, told reporters the initial U.S.-Israeli offensive in Iran was [5:35] over, with all its objectives achieved. Then, hours later, the U.S. president announced the [5:40] initiative would pause for a short period of time to see whether the U.S. and Iran can come [5:45] to an agreement. Well, Donald Trump's announcement that Project Freedom was being put on hold [5:51] yesterday caught many by surprise, particularly after top officials spent the day discussing [5:56] the plan and its goals. [5:57] Well, let's cross to D.C. and speak to our correspondent, Bernd de Boosman. Bernd, difficult decisions [6:03] on what to accept or not to accept from Iran in terms of making a deal and confusing as well [6:09] for people watching this from the outside. [6:10] It has been very confusing. And, as you mentioned, it's been 24 hours full of various twists [6:17] and turns. For now, however, President Trump still seems at the very least cautiously optimistic [6:23] about the prospects of a deal. In the last half hour or so, he was addressing a gathering [6:28] of military mothers at the White House. He said he still feels quite confident that Iran [6:33] will come to a deal. But, at the same time, he again, as he did on Truth Social this morning, [6:38] suggested that Iran could also be coerced into a deal. [6:42] He said that they will come to a deal one way or another, kind of subtly suggesting that [6:46] the possibility of further strikes remains on the table. [6:51] And experts I have spoken to here in Washington over the last few hours, they also caution [6:55] what this deal entails. [6:57] The one-page memorandum that's been reported in various news outlets at best could amount [7:02] to kicking the can down the road. [7:05] Some of the issues at hand, particularly the issue of Iran's uranium stocks that President [7:09] Trump wants to take possession of, those are enormously technical details. [7:15] In the Obama administration, for example, it took 20 months to kind of iron out the details [7:19] about the future of Iran's nuclear program. [7:22] So I think he's cautiously optimistic, but, at the same time, many people here see this [7:26] essentially as a deal to continue talking about a deal, kind of opening the pathway to a more [7:34] detailed agreement rather than, kind of, a deal that would end this war once and for [7:39] all. [7:40] MS. [7:41] Bern, thank you very much. [7:43] Well, today, global oil prices dipped below $100 per barrel following reports of that possible [7:49] deal. [7:50] But figures show 13,000 flights have been canceled globally this month alone after the war caused [7:56] jet fuel prices to soar. [7:58] With more, here's our deputy economics editor, Darshini David. [8:03] Global hurdles remain, but this is the closest the US and Iran have got to an agreement. [8:08] It's been another quiet day in the Strait of Hormuz, but could a plan to get traffic moving [8:14] be looming? [8:15] Well, earlier, the oil price dipped to below $100 per barrel. [8:19] But that remained more than 40% above where we were ahead of the war. [8:24] Because, after all those previous twists, investors are cautious. [8:27] And even with a swift resolution, the impact of this is being felt widely. [8:32] Take travel. [8:33] Airlines have canceled 13,000 flights globally in May, that's two million seats. [8:39] Turkish, Emirates, Lufthansa, among those cancelling. [8:43] But these amount to just 1% of global flights and some may reflect contingency planning, cutting [8:49] back in a relatively quiet month to ensure there's fuel for the peak summer season. [8:55] Here in the UK, however, airlines say they're largely operating as normal. [9:00] But fares are going up. [9:03] These are some of the airlines that have already hiked their prices. [9:06] Some are more than 50% higher than last year. [9:10] Jet fuel accounts for more than a quarter of airlines' costs. [9:13] That's more than doubled. [9:14] And there's only so much they'd stocked up in advance. [9:17] Tonight, the government is urging people not to change travel plans. [9:22] EasyJet says customers can book with confidence, but the horizon is unclear. [9:27] A smooth ride in the skies this summer may depend on what happens on the ground and in [9:33] that narrow waterway in the Middle East. [9:37] So where does this all leave us now? [9:39] Well, it appears both the White House and the regime in Tehran own some kind of standoff. [9:44] Both sides know a return to conflict is not what they want. [9:47] So who blinks first? [9:49] Well, let's speak to our world affairs correspondent, Paul Adams. [9:52] And Paul, 24 hours ago, both sides were literally exchanging fire in Hormuz, apparently. [9:57] Now we're talking about peace talks being resolved. [10:00] So what's your assessment of where we are right now? [10:03] Well, look, I think we're still in a very fragile state. [10:05] In fact, I think there were reports that that U.S. forces were once again interdicting [10:11] an Iranian vessel today and using force in the process. [10:14] So, you know, there's plenty of potential still for this to flare up. [10:18] But I think you're absolutely right. [10:19] The two sides do not really want to go back to war. [10:22] And I think the Americans in particular don't want to go back to all out war. [10:27] Project Freedom, which was introduced just on Monday, was a bit of a last throw of the [10:31] dice. [10:32] The sort of theory that somehow the Americans could maintain their own blockade while puncturing [10:37] the Iranian blockade, well, they did that and they only got two vessels through. [10:44] But in the process of that, they prompted the Iranians to respond with attacks both at [10:51] sea and also crucially against oil facilities in the United Arab Emirates. [10:56] So I think the consequences of continuing with Project Freedom were deemed to be simply [11:01] too risky. [11:02] In the background, while all of that was going on, we now know that there were all sorts of [11:07] messages flying this way and that, with Pakistan still very keen to be seen as a key mediator [11:14] here. [11:15] Perhaps the Chinese also playing a role. [11:16] Bear in mind that the Iranian foreign minister has been in Beijing. [11:21] And Donald Trump, of course, is going to Beijing for a very, very important meeting with President [11:25] Xi next week. [11:27] And so all of that has been going on. [11:29] And at the moment, we seem to be in a situation in which the latest version of this memorandum, [11:35] which Berndt was just describing, is out there. [11:38] Everyone is taking a look at it. [11:40] We don't know what is in it. [11:42] And we certainly don't know if the two sides are going to agree to pursue it. [11:46] But it does seem to be some kind of blueprint which would allow the end of hostilities, [11:51] a gradual end of hostilities, the gradual opening of the Strait of Hormuz, and then setting [11:57] the scene for the really difficult negotiations on things like Iran's nuclear program. [12:01] I mean, it almost feels, doesn't it, that both sides have just come to the conclusion [12:05] that they just don't want this to carry on anymore, rather than one side necessarily [12:09] blinking first. [12:11] Yes. [12:12] That confidence that we heard from President Trump at the beginning of this, back at the [12:16] end of February, and that we still hear from time to time from Pete Hegseth and actually [12:21] from Donald Trump himself, it's really kind of gone. [12:24] Because a war launched originally to definitively remove all prospects of Iran getting a nuclear [12:32] weapon is now probably going to result in a deal to resolve a problem that never existed [12:37] in the first place, and that is the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz. [12:42] If that can be resolved to the satisfaction of both sides, and even that is a big if, because [12:47] the Iranians are in the process of implementing a whole new regime for the Strait of Hormuz, [12:53] and it's not clear whether they're prepared to walk away from that. [12:57] The whole question of Iran's nuclear program has sort of receded. [13:02] The Americans cannot be seen to abandon that issue. [13:05] Whatever memorandum emerges, from an American point of view, it has to have that front and [13:11] centre with the prospect of negotiations soon to address that complicated issue and to deal [13:19] with it in a way that Donald Trump can sell as an improvement on the previous nuclear deal [13:25] negotiated under Donald Trump. [13:27] But the fact of the matter is that an issue which Donald Trump thought he was going to resolve, [13:31] along with Israel through the exclusive use of blunt force, is now going to have to be resolved, [13:38] is perhaps being resolved by diplomacy. [13:41] Okay, Paul, thank you very much indeed, Paul Adams. [13:45] Well, whether you're joining us on YouTube, TikTok, Sounds, radio or television, thanks for your time. [13:50] We'll be back at the same time tomorrow with the Iran war today. [13:54] Alright. [14:00] Let's go. [14:07] Thank you. [14:13] Thank you.