U.S. Demands (The "15-Point Plan")
The Trump administration’s proposal focuses on the total dismantling of Iran’s strategic capabilities in exchange for economic relief:
- Nuclear Program Dismantlement:
- Complete destruction of the
,
Isfahan, andFordonuclear facilities.
- A permanent commitment to never pursue nuclear weapons.
- Zero enrichment of uranium on Iranian soil.
- Handover of all existing enriched uranium stockpiles to the IAEA.
- Granting the IAEA "anywhere, anytime" access for monitoring.
- Complete destruction of the
,
- Military & Regional Constraints:
- Missile Limits: Strict caps on the range and quantity of ballistic missiles, restricted to "self-defense" use only.
- Proxy Groups: Immediate cessation of funding, arming, and directing regional proxy groups (the "proxy paradigm").
- Maritime & Economic Terms:
- Strait of Hormuz: Guaranteed permanent reopening and protection of the strait as a free maritime zone.
- U.S. Offers: Full lifting of international sanctions and U.S. assistance for a strictly civilian nuclear energy program (e.g., the
Bushehr plant).
- Sanctions Snapback: Removal of the "snapback" mechanism that allows for automatic reimposition of sanctions.
Iran’s Counter-Demands
Tehran has responded with a set of "existential" demands that the U.S. has so far labeled as "ridiculous":
- Regional Military Exit: Closure of all U.S. military bases in the Persian Gulf.
- War Reparations: Financial compensation for the human and infrastructure damage caused by the weeks of U.S. and Israeli bombing.
- Security Guarantees: Binding guarantees against any future U.S. or Israeli attacks.
- Hormuz Sovereignty: The right to charge a transit fee for ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, similar to the Suez Canal.
- Hezbollah Protection: An immediate halt to all Israeli strikes on Hezbollah and Lebanon.
- No Missile Limits: Refusal to accept any restrictions on its domestic ballistic missile program.
