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Talks in Islamabad between the US and Iran are the product of a fragile two-week ceasefire that followed six weeks of war.
Both sides arrived with competing blueprints for peace: Iran with a 10-point proposal, the US with its own 15-point framework.
Both plans are widely seen as opening negotiating positions rather than final demands. Iran's core goals are security guarantees, sanctions relief, and international legitimacy, while other demands, like Hormuz tolls, sweeping proxy protections, and immediate sanctions removal, look more like negotiating chips.
Here’s what each side is asking for:
Iran's 10-point plan
Iran crafted its 10-point proposal in response to the 15-point plan the US administration submitted to Tehran through Pakistani intermediaries. The points, as reported by Iranian state media, are:
1- Complete halt to all aggression: Iran wants a permanent end to attacks, not just a temporary truce, and crucially wants protection extended to its network of proxies, including Hezbollah and the Houthis.
2- US military withdrawal from the region: Iran is calling for the withdrawal of US combat forces from the Middle East and a prohibition on attacks from regional military bases.
3- Recognition of Iran's right to nuclear enrichment: Iran wants Washington to formally recognise its right to enrich uranium on its own territory, which has consistently been the central US and Israeli concern in negotiations.
4- Lifting of all primary US sanctions: Iran is seeking the complete removal of primary sanctions, which bar US entities from doing business with Iran and form the backbone of Washington's economic pressure campaign.
5- Removal of all secondary sanctions: This would end sanctions against foreign entities that do business with Iranian institutions.
6- End of all UN Security Council resolutions: Iran is seeking the termination of all UN Security Council resolutions against it.
7- End of all IAEA resolutions on Iran's nuclear programme: Iran is seeking the removal of International Atomic Energy Agency resolutions criticising its nuclear activity, which is fundamentally incompatible with US non-proliferation policy.
8- US non-aggression guarantee: Iran is seeking a binding pledge that the US will never attack or threaten military force against the country.
9- Recognised control over the Strait of Hormuz: Iran is seeking controlled passage through the Strait of Hormuz in co-ordination with Iranian armed forces, which would mean Iran retains its leverage over the waterway.
10- Reparations and reconstruction: Iran is seeking compensation for damage caused during the conflict, something the US does not typically provide to adversarial governments for wartime damage.
Trump's 15-point plan
The full US plan has not been officially published, but its key elements have been reported through US and Israeli media. it has also been leaked through mediators.
The plan is believed to mainly include Iran committing to no nuclear weapons, handing over its highly enriched uranium, limits on Tehran's defence capabilities, an end to regional proxy groups, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and an acknowledgement of Israel's right to exist.
More specifically, reported points include:
1- Complete dismantling of Iran's nuclear facilities at Natanz, Isfahan, and Fordow.
2- A permanent commitment from Iran to never develop nuclear weapons.
3- Handover of Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium to the IAEA, with Iran no longer permitted to enrich uranium domestically.
4- A commitment to allow the IAEA to monitor all elements of Iran's remaining nuclear infrastructure.
5- Limits on Tehran's ballistic missile programme, including reportedly restrictions on both the range and number of missiles Iran can possess.
6- Cessation of support to militant groups in the region including Hezbollah, the Houthis and Hamas.
7-The Strait of Hormuz would be declared a free maritime zone and remain permanently open.
8- An acknowledgement of Israel's right to exist – one of the most politically explosive demands given Iran's long-standing position.
9- The plan included an initial 30-day ceasefire during which the two sides would negotiate the terms of a broader deal.
10- Extensive sanctions relief to Iran in exchange for compliance with the above demands.
11- US support for electricity generation at Iran's Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant – a civilian carrot to soften the blow of dismantling military nuclear capabilities.
Iran had initially rejected the 15-point plan, with one official describing the demands as "largely excessive, unrealistic and unreasonable", despite US President Donald Trump claiming in late March that Tehran had agreed to "most of" the points.
Mr Trump distanced himself from the publicly released Iranian version of the 10-point plan, writing on that "numerous agreements, lists, and letters are being sent out by people that have absolutely nothing to do with the USA/Iran negotiation".
