Iran is expected to respond on Thursday to a US proposal aimed at ending the conflict and establishing a framework for broader nuclear negotiations, according to media reports, as diplomatic efforts intensified amid continuing tensions in the Gulf.
US President Donald Trump said Washington and Tehran had held “very good talks” over the past 24 hours and suggested that a breakthrough could be possible within days, said a CNN report.
“We’re in good shape,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Wednesday. “It’s very possible that we’ll make a deal.” However, he also warned that failure to reach an agreement could lead to a renewed military escalation.
“If they don’t agree, the bombing starts, and it will be, sadly, at a much higher level and intensity than it was before,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
According to an Axios report, the White House is awaiting Tehran’s response to a proposed one-page, 14-point memorandum of understanding (MOU) intended to halt the war and lay the groundwork for detailed negotiations on Iran’s nuclear programme.
US officials quoted in the report said they expect an Iranian response within the next 24 to 48 hours. “We are not far, but there is no deal yet,” one official was quoted as saying.
The proposed framework is reportedly being negotiated between Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner and Iranian officials, both directly and through mediators. The plan includes an Iranian moratorium on nuclear enrichment, US sanctions relief, the release of billions of dollars in frozen Iranian funds, and measures to restore unrestricted transit through the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian officials have signalled caution over the proposal. An Iranian foreign ministry spokesman said Tehran was still reviewing the document and would communicate its position through Pakistani mediators. A senior Iranian parliamentarian reportedly dismissed the plan as a “wish list.”
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister said Islamabad was working to help convert the current ceasefire into “a permanent end to this war.”
The diplomatic exchanges come as concerns over maritime security in the Gulf continue to mount. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy said safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz would be possible under “new procedures,” according to Iranian media reports.
At the same time, reports said the US military disabled an Iranian-flagged tanker in the Gulf of Oman after it attempted to head toward an Iranian port.
French President Emmanuel Macron also weighed in on the crisis, calling for the immediate restoration of full navigation rights through the Strait of Hormuz following talks with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
“All parties must lift the blockade of the strait, without delay and without conditions,” Macron said in a statement posted on X, adding that France and the United Kingdom were considering a multinational maritime mission to secure shipping routes.
“The return of calm in the strait will help advance negotiations on the nuclear issue, the ballistic issue, and the regional situation,” Macron said.
Iranian state media reported that Pezeshkian, during the call with Macron, highlighted Tehran’s “deep distrust toward the United States.”
