Trump Claims Progress on Iran Peace Deal as Military Strikes Continue

President Trump says the U.S. is making headway in negotiations to end the escalating Middle East conflict, with reports of a 15-point peace proposal sent to Iran. Meanwhile, Israel launched new attacks on Tehran Wednesday as fighting continues across the region.

Military strikes between Israel and Iran continued Wednesday even as President Donald Trump announced the United States is making headway in diplomatic efforts to bring the devastating Middle East conflict to an end.

Israeli forces launched a new round of attacks targeting infrastructure throughout Tehran, according to statements from the Israeli Defense Forces posted on Telegram. Iran’s semi-official SNN News Agency reported the strikes damaged residential neighborhoods in the capital city, with emergency crews working to search through debris.

The ongoing violence has also spread to neighboring countries, with Kuwait and Saudi Arabia reporting they successfully defended against additional drone strikes Wednesday. Officials did not identify the source of the attacks. At Kuwait International Airport, drones struck a fuel storage tank, sparking a fire though no injuries were reported, according to the Kuwait Civil Aviation Authority.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards announced they had conducted fresh strikes against Israeli cities including Tel Aviv and Kiryat Shmona, as well as American military installations in Kuwait, Jordan and Bahrain, Iranian state media outlets reported.

Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Trump revealed the U.S. was engaged in active “negotiations” aimed at ending the war, which has already claimed thousands of lives and triggered what experts call the most severe energy crisis in modern history, causing worldwide fuel shortages and market instability.

Financial markets responded positively Wednesday to news reports suggesting Washington is pursuing a month-long cessation of hostilities and has delivered a comprehensive 15-point proposal to Iranian leadership for consideration. Stock prices climbed while oil costs dropped on renewed optimism for restored petroleum exports from the Persian Gulf region.

At the White House, Trump informed reporters the U.S. was engaging with “the right people” in Iran to halt the fighting, claiming Iranian officials were eager to reach an agreement.

However, Iran’s influential parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf rejected such claims Monday, calling the reports “fake news.”

The New York Times disclosed Tuesday that Washington had transmitted a 15-point framework to Iran outlining steps to end the Middle Eastern war. Israel’s Channel 12, citing three unnamed sources, reported the U.S. was pushing for a month-long ceasefire during which the comprehensive proposal could be discussed.

A source with knowledge of the situation verified that the U.S. had indeed sent a plan to Iran but declined to provide additional specifics.

According to the Israeli news outlet, the proposal would require Iran to dismantle its nuclear weapons program, halt assistance to allied militant organizations such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah, and allow the reopening of the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz.

The U.S. and Israel initiated military action against Iran on February 28 after declaring that diplomatic discussions aimed at curtailing Iran’s nuclear ambitions had not yielded sufficient results, despite mediator Oman’s assertion that meaningful progress had been achieved.

Following those strikes, Iran has targeted nations hosting American military bases, attacked energy facilities throughout the Gulf region, and essentially blocked the Strait of Hormuz, a critical passage for one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments.

Iran has informed both the United Nations Security Council and the International Maritime Organization that “non-hostile vessels” may pass through the Strait of Hormuz provided they coordinate with Iranian officials, according to documentation reviewed by Reuters Tuesday.

The practical shutdown of this waterway, through which 20% of the world’s oil and gas typically flows, has created an unprecedented energy supply crisis, driven fuel costs to record highs, and severely disrupted international air travel.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced Tuesday his country’s willingness to facilitate discussions between the U.S. and Iran regarding ending the conflict, one day after Trump delayed threatened attacks on Iranian power facilities following what he described as “productive” diplomatic exchanges.

Pakistan maintains longstanding diplomatic ties with neighboring Iran’s Islamic Republic while simultaneously developing its relationship with the Trump administration.

Despite ongoing negotiation reports, the Pentagon is preparing to deploy thousands of soldiers from the U.S. Army’s elite 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East, two informed sources told Reuters Tuesday, expanding an already substantial American military presence.

These additional forces will join the 50,000 U.S. troops currently stationed in the region, further accelerating Washington’s massive military buildup and raising concerns about a prolonged conflict.