The key to unlocking the door to peace

The US cancelled its planned attack on Iran on May 19 following requests from three Gulf countries. Tehran also urgently sent Washington a 14-point peace proposal through Pakistani mediation. These positive moves by the parties involved have given observers reason to hope that the conflict in the Middle East may soon come to an end.

US President Donald Trump announced the cancellation of the planned attack on Iran on May 19 after receiving a request for a “temporary postponement” from the Emir of Qatar, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, and the President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

After receiving the urgent signal from the leaders of the three close Gulf allies, the White House leader immediately instructed Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Daniel Caine not to carry out the planned strike on Iran. The Gulf states’ argument that serious peace negotiations were under way reportedly convinced President Trump.

According to the three countries, the parties concerned were highly likely to reach an agreement acceptable to the United States, Iran, and the wider region. Nevertheless, many experts remain sceptical about the credibility of the White House announcement, saying they saw no indication that Washington had been actively preparing to attack Iran on May 19.

On the Iranian side, head of the Iranian parliament's national security committee Ebrahim Azizi said Tehran had sent a new 14-point peace plan through Pakistani intermediaries. Accordingly, the Islamic Republic had made several adjustments, focusing on negotiations aimed at ending the conflict and confidence-building measures from the US. In response, Washington decided to temporarily waive sanctions on Iran’s oil sector during the negotiation period, rather than continuing to rely solely on pressure tactics against the Middle Eastern nation as before. Tehran acknowledged and highly appreciated this goodwill gesture from Washington.

Of course, not all differences have been resolved smoothly, nor have US-Iran relations become entirely trouble-free. The deep divide between Washington and Tehran remains centred on the nuclear issue. While the US consistently insists that Iran must not enrich uranium, even for civilian purposes, the Islamic Republic maintains that its right to uranium enrichment is non-negotiable.

Iran has expressed disappointment that Washington has yet to make any concessions regarding Tehran’s proposals in negotiations aimed at de-escalating tensions. The US remains adamant that Iran should only be allowed to maintain one nuclear facility and must transfer all highly enriched uranium to the US, a demand that Tehran has firmly rejected. In its 14-point peace proposal, Iran suggested transferring uranium to Russia instead of the US.

Tehran has also voiced dissatisfaction over Washington’s reluctance to demonstrate goodwill by lifting restrictions on Iranian assets held abroad, while also refusing to provide compensation for damage caused by the conflict, as requested by Iran.

Meanwhile, the international community continues to push forward mediation efforts. Egypt’s Foreign Minister held separate telephone conversations with his counterparts from Pakistan, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. All sides agreed that diplomacy remains the only solution capable of ending the crisis that is undermining regional stability and security.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also held a telephone conversation with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed Al-Thani to discuss mediation efforts related to the conflict between the US and Iran. Both sides stressed the importance of resuming dialogue in order to reach agreements that could stabilise the situation, while calling for diplomatic and political solutions to be prioritised in order to avoid the risk of military escalation in the region.

Analysts believe that the ideal conditions for negotiations - including a ceasefire, shuttle diplomacy, and international mediation efforts - are now in place. However, the key to unlocking peace in the Middle East still lies in the hands of the US and Iran.

NDO