Diplomats believe that the 15-point framework for peace with Iran, which US President Donald Trump claimed is under discussion, is largely based on a proposal put forward by his negotiating team nearly a year ago. The original plan was the basis for talks in May 2025, which collapsed after Israeli airstrikes on Iran's nuclear programme.
Sources suggest that the plan may be a rehash of the document Iran rejected last year, indicating either a lack of US seriousness or a desire by Trump to appear to have made more progress than he actually has. Trump said on Monday he was postponing a threatened attack on Iran's energy infrastructure for five days to allow time to see if agreement could be reached on the 15 points.
The May 2025 plan included restrictions on Iran's use of sanctions-released funds, a ban on funding its ballistic missile programme, and requirements to ship out uranium stockpiles and render enrichment facilities unusable within a month. It also proposed a regional enrichment consortium involving Iran, the US, the UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
Iran has denied any backchannel talks, and some diplomats say no radically new US document exists. Any new talks, likely overseen by Pakistan in Islamabad, would face additional challenges, including Iran's demand for assurances against further US military attacks and Gulf states' calls for a non-aggression pact.
The G7 foreign ministers meeting in Paris this week is expected to highlight divisions over the US attack on Iran, with France, Germany, Italy, the UK, Canada and Japan opposing what they see as an unlawful and unnecessary war.
