After the truce

US and Iran far apart: the most difficult points in the negotiations

Tehran's plan includes many positions that are incompatible with Washington's plans

10 April 2026Articolo aggiornato l’11 aprile 2026, ore 15:30

I negoziatori americani. Il vicepresidente JD Vance; l’inviato speciale Steve Witkoff; e il genero di Donald Trump, Jared Kushner EPA

4' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Key points

Lebanon
The Strait of Hormuz
Nuclear
Regional proxies
Sanctions, frozen assets and repairs
War propaganda

4' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

A difficult negotiation. Uphill. The United States and Iran will start the talks in Islamabad, Pakistan, from very different positions, although President Donald Trump has said that the proposals put forward by Tehran form a 'basis' for negotiations. However, the two sides remain firm on opposing demands to end the war: the 10-point Iranian plan shows little overlap with the 15-point US plan. The differences to be bridged are therefore wide. And there is no shortage of knots.

Lebanon

As pointed out by the BBC, the latest obstacle in the talks is the Israeli campaign against Hezbollah, which threatens to derail the talks before they even begin. Although Pakistan is attempting to persuade Tehran to abandon the point about the ceasefire in Lebanon as a precondition for talks, the Islamic Republic insists that a ceasefire in the Cedar Country must first be reached in order to start talks, a point categorically ruled out by Israel, which nevertheless seems to have reduced the pace of attacks. It remains to be seen whether this restraint will be discreet enough to satisfy Iran.

Libano, non si arrestano i raid israeliani a caccia di Hezbollah

The Strait of Hormuz

Only a small number of ships have crossed since the truce began. Trump claims that Iran is 'doing a bad job' in allowing ships to pass through, stressing that 'this is not the agreement reached'. The decalogue of Iranian demands includes Tehran's control over the sea arm, including through the 'toll' system introduced since the beginning of the war. But difficulties remain, especially because of the presence of mines in the strait.

Nuclear

Trump said he launched Operation Epic Fury also to ensure that Iran 'may never have the atomic bomb', a weapon Tehran claims it has never sought to build by claiming the right to enrich uranium for civil purposes. The 10-point Iranian proposal, which Trump called 'a workable basis on which to negotiate', includes a demand for international recognition of uranium enrichment rights. According to reports, Trump's 15-point plan would instead demand that Iran 'cease all uranium enrichment on Iranian territory'.

Trump su Iran: Sarà un buon accordo se non avranno più armi nucleari

Regional proxies

Washington wants Iran to cut off its financial support for the network of allies (Hezbollah in Lebanon, Houthi in Yemen, Hamas in Gaza, and militias in Iraq) that has given Tehran regional influence, allowing it to exercise what is often referred to as 'forward defence' in its long-standing disputes with Israel and the US. However, there are currently no signs that Iran is ready to give up its allies.

Sanctions, Frozen Assets and Repairs

Iran is demanding the lifting of all US and international sanctions as part of any deal. On Friday, the Speaker of Parliament and negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, stated that some $120 billion of frozen Iranian assets must be unfrozen before negotiations begin, claiming it was part of the measures previously agreed in the truce. But as rumours and denials chase each other, it seems highly unlikely that the Trump administration would be willing to make such a substantial concession just to start the talks. Iran also insists on war reparations.

Much has also changed since the previous talks, which had focused on the nuclear programme and Iran's missiles. These issues are now overshadowed by the fate of the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran has indicated that, as part of a permanent peace agreement, it would seek to impose a tariff on ships transiting the strait, which at its narrowest point between Iran and Oman measures just 34 km (21 miles) wide.

War propaganda

Finally, war propaganda obscures the picture. Iran's Supreme National Security Council said in a statement that Washington had accepted the Iranian 10-point plan and that 'the United States is, in principle, committed' to recognising a number of points:non-aggression; retention of Iranian control over the Strait of Hormuz; acceptance of enrichment; lifting of all primary and secondary sanctions; termination of all resolutions passed by the UN Security Council and the International Atomic Energy Agency Board of Governors; withdrawal of US combat forces from the region; and cessation of war on all fronts, including against the Islamic resistance in Lebanon.

Il traffico marittimo intorno allo Stretto di Hormuz durante il cessate il fuoco

The US is hardly ready to accept all these demands. According to Israeli sources, Trump's 15-point proposal, previously sent to Iran via Pakistan, called for the removal of Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium, an end to enrichment, limiting the missile-ballistic missile programme, and cutting off funding to regional allies.

Trump declared victory, but Washington did not achieve the goals it had announced to justify the war: eliminating Iran's ability to attack its neighbours, destroying its nuclear programme and creating conditions that would make it easier for the Iranians to overthrow their government. On the other hand, Iran is unlikely to make any major concessions on these points since it has leverage over the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

Not secondary is the question of whether the ceasefire also includes Israel's war against Hezbollah, which has become a point of friction threatening the truce. The US and Israel say that Lebanon is not included in the agreement, while Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said that a cessation of hostilities in Lebanon was an essential condition of the understanding.