Merz: US humiliated by Iran: nuclear negotiations stalled

Today, then, Tehran handed the United States a new proposal 'in stages' through the mediators in Pakistan: the regime - according to the Axios agency - said it was ready to reopen Hormuz, in exchange for an end to the blockade of Iranian ports still controlled by American military forces, and when it receives guarantees on the end of US and Israeli attacks.

Only at a later stage, under stable conditions and without the threat of raids, will Iranian leaders agree to discuss the terms of its nuclear programme. The elements of the proposal were similarly described by Lebanese TV station Al-Mayadeen, close to Hezbollah. And, in harsher tones, by the Iranian Tasnim agency, linked to the Pasdaran.

Trump "has discussed the latest proposal" from Tehran" with his advisers, "but I wouldn't say the US is considering it," said White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt.

While the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio rejected the Iranian plan despite saying he was convinced that "the Iranian economy is on its knees" and that this is why Tehran "really wants" to reach an agreement: "Too many conditions, they want to keep control over Hormuz, this is not an opening. These are,' Rubio said again, 'international waters. It cannot be Iran that decides who can access them, under threat of bombs'.

No progress can be seen between the US and Iran. No further direct talks are planned. The crux is still the Iranian nuclear programme. Araghchi thanked Putin's Russia "for the support" and returned to accusing the US of having derailed the first round of talks in Islamabad "with excessive demands".

But it is Merz's attack that explains the situation in Iran. 'It is clear,' said the German Chancellor, 'that the US has entered this war without any strategy. The Iranians are clearly stronger than expected and the Americans have no convincing strategy even in negotiations'.

In two months of war, the bombing raids launched by the US and Israel on 28 February have failed to break the ayatollahs' regime. The raids have beheaded Tehran's political and military leadership, destroyed much of the military capacity and compromised infrastructure, killed thousands of civilians, and forced millions of Iranians to flee.

But they did not succeed in getting the regime to surrender: the Supreme Guide, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed, but was replaced by his son Mojtaba Khamenei, who was badly wounded and even more determined to fight.

The conflict has spread to the Gulf countries. While the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took advantage of this to launch a military campaign against Lebanon that seems to repeat the devastation of the territory and the massacre of the population that took place in Gaza.

But above all, the Iranian reaction has led to the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz with very heavy repercussions on energy supplies and the global economy: the stalemate in the negotiations, according to Goldman Sachs, could bring the price of oil close to $120 per barrel by the end of the year.