Trump shares draft Iran peace plan with Israel and allies amid US-Israel tensions over war on Iran

Donald Trump has circulated a draft peace agreement for the war with Iran as international negotiators work to prevent renewed ceasefire violations from collapsing the fragile talks. Pakistan’s foreign minister, Mohammad Ishaq Dar, is set to travel to Washington on Friday to meet US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, while indirect diplomacy continues through Pakistan and Qatar.

The latest draft is similar to a proposal already moving through the Middle East. Under its terms, the Strait of Hormuz would reopen fully to commercial shipping, the US blockade on Iranian ports would be lifted, and Iran would regain access to as much as $12 billion in frozen assets. The plan also envisions shipping in the strait returning to pre-war levels within 30 days, followed by up to 60 days of negotiations on Iran’s nuclear programme. Those talks would cover Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium, a temporary halt to further enrichment and oversight by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

China is pushing for the UN Security Council to ratify any final agreement. Israel, however, is expected to strongly oppose the current outline because it postpones binding Iranian nuclear commitments and ties a permanent ceasefire to broader regional terms, including Lebanon.

Tensions remain high in the Gulf. Iran targeted a US air base in Kuwait on Thursday after Washington struck what it said was an Iranian drone operation near the Strait of Hormuz. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps said it continues to control passage through the waterway and stated that 26 commercial ships and oil tankers were allowed through in the past 24 hours. It also said vessels must seek permission before transit, warning that other routes would be treated as disruptive. The IRGC said it stopped four ships moving with their transponders switched off, forcing two to halt and two to turn back.

The dispute over transit rights is becoming a central obstacle in the negotiations. Iran is seeking a separate arrangement with Oman that could allow navigational fees, while the draft shared by Trump reportedly calls for toll-free passage through Hormuz. Trump also threatened on Wednesday to “blow up” Oman if it agreed to a deal with Tehran involving tolls, a remark that drew anger from senior Omani diplomats.

Iran’s deputy foreign minister, Ali Bagheri, repeated Moscow’s demand that frozen Iranian assets be released directly into Iranian bank accounts without conditions. In response, the US imposed sanctions on Iran’s newly created Persian Gulf Strait Authority, which is intended to manage vessel passage through the strait. Tehran is also seeking Oman’s cooperation in coordinating maritime traffic.

Inside Iran, Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei urged officials not to let disagreements become divisions and called on parliament, currently closed, to address public economic concerns. He accused the US and Israel of trying to weaken the country through division and destruction.

Meanwhile, Amnesty International said Iranian authorities have arrested more than 6,000 people since the US and Israel launched their offensive on 28 February, including protesters, journalists, lawyers, human rights defenders, dissidents, and members of ethnic and religious minorities. Oil prices rose 2% on Thursday morning but remained below $100 a barrel.