The US has issued far-reaching demands to Iran to end the war, conditions that Tehran is likely to view as a non-starter, sources familiar with the matter have told Middle East Eye.
Turkey, Pakistan and Egypt have been trying to establish a channel between the US and Iran to secure a short ceasefire or open talks aimed at exploring terms both sides might find acceptable as a way forward since last week.
However, one source familiar with the discussions said the Trump administration had presented its demands in a manner similar to Russia's approach in its talks with Ukraine last year in Istanbul, when Moscow pressed Kyiv to make core concessions.
Ukraine rejected those terms as unacceptable. They included ceding territory, limiting Ukraine's military forces and reshaping the Ukrainian government in ways that would satisfy Moscow. At the time, some Western diplomats described the conditions as a "capitulation", given the years of fighting.
"The US passed a long list of demands, very similar to the 15-point plans Trump envoy Steven Witkoff drafted for Ukraine," one source familiar with the discussions told MEE.
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