How is that going over?????

US sent Iran a 15-point proposal as White House seeks talks with Tehran. 

By Maureen Chowdhury

President Donald Trump’s view of the war with Iran has shifted quite dramatically this week.

Over the weekend the US president issued an ultimatum over the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, only to pull back after a few conversations with a mystery official in Tehran.

Now, sources say the White House is working to arrange a meeting in Pakistan this weekend to discuss an off-ramp to the war. This comes as the US shared a 15-point list of expectations with Iran via Pakistan, sources said.

Meanwhile, the war continues to wreak havoc in the region. If you’re just joining us, catch up on the latest developments:

On potential US-Iran negotiations:

• An Iranian official has outlined five conditions for ending the war in response to a 15-point proposal from the US, state media outlet Press TV reported on Wednesday.
• Earlier, Iran said it will not accept a ceasefire and believes it would not be “logical” for it to enter talks with the US, Iran’s semi-official news agency Fars reported, citing a source with knowledge of the diplomatic activity.
• Separately, Israel is concerned that the US may declare a one-month ceasefire in order to facilitate negotiations with Iran, two Israeli sources said.

Strait of Hormuz:

• Many container ships delivering cargo from China to the Middle East are taking three times as long to reach the region than usual, a shipping analyst said.
• Multiple vessels have passed through the Strait of Hormuz since Tuesday morning, tracking data appears to show, as Iran says it will charge countries a fee for safe passage through the critical waterway.

An oil company CEO and Germany’s economic minister have warned that energy shortages could hit Europe starting next month, if the war with Iran does not end.

Impact of war on the region:

• Israei authorities rejected an Iranian claim that missiles struck Israel’s largest power plant. Iran’s semi-official Fars News Agency posted a video, geolocated by CNN, showing a large plume of smoke rising into the sky close to the plant, which it said had been hit in a wave of strikes.
• Iraq’s Foreign Ministry has summoned the chargé d’affaires of the US Embassy after multiple Iraqi service members were killed in an attack on a health care clinic associated with the country’s Defense Ministry, a military spokesperson said.

Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem rejected talks with Israel while Lebanon remains under fire, deeming any negotiation in current conflict conditions “forced surrender.”