Diplomats believe that the 15-point framework plan for peace with Iran, which Donald Trump has claimed is under discussion, is based on a proposal put forward by his negotiating team during nuclear talks almost a year ago. That original plan was the basis for negotiations in late May 2025, shortly before the talks collapsed due to Israeli airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear programme.
There has been much speculation about the contents of Trump’s latest claimed plan and how much has been updated from the now outdated document presented to Iranians last May. The fact that the plan may largely be a rehash of something Iran did not accept a year ago suggests either a lack of US seriousness about the talks or a desire by Trump to pretend progress had been made.
The Iranians accused Trump of trying to calm US markets by saying he was postponing strikes on Iran’s energy infrastructure for five days to see if “15 points of agreement” could be reached. Trump claimed “very good and productive” conversations had led to progress, but Iran denied any backchannel talks except indirect discussions about reviving negotiations.
Some of the US’s 15 points drafted in 2025 may be out of date, as there have been three further rounds of talks in 2026, and Iran’s nuclear programme has been obliterated by US bombing. The May 2025 plan included restrictions on Iran’s use of sanctions-released money, a ban on funding its ballistic missile programme, and the shipping out of all uranium stockpiles. It also proposed a regional enrichment consortium involving Iran, the US, the UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
Iran, in any new talks likely overseen by Pakistan and held in Islamabad, would seek assurances that the US will not mount further military attacks. The issue of freedom of navigation along the Strait of Hormuz would also need to be addressed. Gulf states are looking for guarantees from Iran through a non-aggression pact. As a result, any deal will be even harder to strike than previous talks, as the number of issues has expanded beyond Iran’s nuclear programme.
The splits between the US and other G7 nations about the wisdom of attacking Iran will be evident at a meeting of G7 foreign ministers in Paris. France, Germany, Italy, the UK, Canada and Japan have all said they do not support what they regard as an unlawful and unnecessary war.
