US Tables Five Conditions to Tehran; Positions “Fundamentally Incompatible”
The Institute for the Study of War’s 17 May assessment, citing IRGC-affiliated Fars News Agency, reports that the United States has tabled five main conditions in response to Iran’s 10 May counterproposal: a rejection of war reparations, a requirement that Iran transfer 400 kilograms of uranium to the United States, a limit to one operational Iranian nuclear facility, no release of more than 25 percent of frozen Iranian assets, and no guarantees against future US or Israeli attacks. ISW concludes that “the United States and Iran continue to pursue fundamentally incompatible negotiating positions”.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the principal US-Iran negotiator on Tehran’s side, has been re-tasked by Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei as Iran’s special representative for the People’s Republic of China, IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News Agency reported — a position elevated above the previous PRC-representative roles in “level of authority”. Trump described Iran’s 10 May counterproposal as “totally unacceptable”. Iranian terms include an end to the war on “all fronts”, the lifting of sanctions, the release of frozen Iranian assets, compensation for war-related damages, and recognition of Iranian sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz. US Central Command said on 17 May it has now redirected 81 commercial vessels and disabled four since the 13 April blockade began.