US, Iran at diplomatic odds as sides harden stance

TEHRAN

Iran and the United States seemed at diplomatic odds on March 26, as both sides issued conflicting statements over the progress of efforts to end the war, with Tehran putting forth its own proposals even as its military fired missiles at Israel.

Hopes for a negotiated end to the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, which has mushroomed to engulf much of the Middle East, rose after the United States was said to have put a 15-point peace plan to Tehran.

But the Islamic Republic's top diplomat flatly denied any "negotiations" with President Donald Trump's administration late on March 25, conceding only that messages were being exchanged through "friendly countries.”

"At present, our policy is the continuation of resistance", Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on state TV, adding: "We do not intend to negotiate, so far, no negotiations have taken place."

Under near-daily bombardment since the joint U.S.-Israeli attack that started the war on Feb. 28, Iran was hit early on March 26 by what the Israeli army called "wide-scale" strikes targeting infrastructure.

Crude prices have fallen since last week, as Trump appears to step back from the goal of regime change.

But the divergent messages on talks and de-escalation saw oil prices rise on Marchh 26 and equities mixed, as the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20 percent of the world's oil and gas passes, continued to cast a shadow.

Meanwhile, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced that Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Navy chief Ali Reza Tangsiri has been killed, alleged he was responsible for closing Strait of Hormuz.

Tehran has largely blocked the vital strait in retaliation for the U.S.-Israeli attacks, with "maritime routes" a key element of the U.S. proposal to end the fighting, according to The New York Times, along with Iran's nuclear and missile programs.

But Iran's state-controlled Press TV cited an unidentified official as saying Tehran had "responded negatively” and instead put forward its own five conditions for hostilities to end.

These include guarantees that the U.S. and Israel do not resume the war and compensation for damages.

Trump insisted at a dinner with lawmakers that Tehran wanted to "make a deal,” but was covering up ongoing talks out of fear.

"They're afraid to say it, because they figure they'll be killed by their own people," he told a dinner with lawmakers. "They're also afraid they'll be killed by us."

In a new statement, Trump called the Iranian negotiators “strange,” urges them to get serious or ‘it won’t be pretty.”

In an all-caps Truth Social post, Trump also railed against NATO allies for doing “absolutely nothing” to help the U.S. in its military campaign against Iran.