MOSCOW, March 25. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump is ready to cease hostilities against Iran, even if Tehran does not formally agree to Washington's demands; Saudi Arabia may join the US and Israel in their war against Tehran; and member countries of the International Energy Agency (IEA) plan to release oil reserves to stabilize global markets. These stories topped Wednesday’s newspaper headlines across Russia.
Donald Trump is ready to declare an end to hostilities against Iran, even if Tehran does not formally agree to Washington's demands. The US president is seeking to end the protracted conflict. However, the positions of the parties remain diametrically opposed: Washington insists on restrictions on Iran’s nuclear and missile programs, while Tehran rejects these conditions and puts forward counter-demands, including compensation and the lifting of sanctions.
Middle East expert Kirill Semyonov told Izvestia that the current situation differs fundamentally from previous negotiations, including those mediated by Oman and held at other venues. According to him, Iran is no longer willing to return to the previously discussed demands, believing they’re no longer pertinent. Instead, Tehran is setting a new agenda that focuses on financial compensation for damages incurred. "By ‘compensation,’ the Iranian side could have a wide range of measures in mind, from unfreezing financial assets to lifting sanctions. The specific details of these demands will need to be hashed out in negotiations. In any case, Iran will seek more favorable terms compared to previous rounds of negotiations," the expert pointed out.
