Updated ,first published
New York: The United States is preparing to send thousands more troops to the Middle East even as it signaled progress in peace talks with Iran and President Donald Trump announced a “tremendous gift” allegedly received as a goodwill gesture from Iran’s negotiators.
In another day of mixed signals as the war approaches its four-week mark, Trump said Iran wants to make a deal “very badly” and confirmed he is now interested in a ceasefire – a change from a few days earlier.
It also emerged that the US had presented Iran – through mediators – with a 15-point peace plan that largely mirrored the Trump administration’s earlier demands for Tehran, ahead of face-to-face talks just this week.
However, an English-language broadcaster on Iran’s national television quoted an official who did not want to be named on Wednesday as saying Iran had rejected the US’s 15-point ceasefire proposal.
Iran was still making high-profile and unrealistic demands, including the closure of all US bases in the Gulf and the right to continue its missile program without restrictions. The Wall Street Journal information. There were also unconfirmed reports that Iran had asked to hold talks with Vice President JD Vance, whose skepticism about military action against Iran has been widely expressed.
The Iranian regime has also continued to taunt the United States with propaganda, and on Wednesday released another Lego-style animated video, showing Iran retaliating for a US missile attack on a girls’ school – a reference to the apparent US shooting of Shajereh Tayyebeh. elementary school in southern Iran on the first day of the war, killing at least 165.
The 84-second video ends with bombs raining down on supposedly American cities, and Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump crying in a weather chamber next to American soldiers and a horned demon named Baal.
Earlier this month, Iranian state media shared another Lego-esque video with drawings of Trump, Netanyahu and Satan looking at Epstein’s files, and an angry Trump responding by hitting a big red button to fire missiles, also at a school.
It also shared an emoji-heavy animation titled “Lord of the Straits”, showing that they had angered Trump by closing the Strait of Hormuz.
And on Tuesday, a spokesman for Iran’s military used Trump’s own words to mock him: “Hey Trump, you’re fired. You know this sentence. Thank you for your attention to this matter.”
Trump on Tuesday (US time) spoke cryptically about the gift the Iranians had offered during the negotiations. “They did something yesterday that was amazing,” he said. “They gave us a gift, and the gift arrived today.
“It was a very large gift worth a large amount of money. I won’t tell you what the gift was, but it was a very important gift.”
He later said the deal was related to oil and gas shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, a major shipping lane that has been effectively closed as Iran closely controls shipping.
Trump said the gift was “a very good thing” and showed him that the United States was “dealing with the right people”. His team, including special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner, are believed to be speaking to the Speaker of Iran’s parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, and partners.
Analysts, who noted Trump’s increasing eagerness to declare victory and make deals, questioned whether a productive settlement with the Iranian regime was possible.
“Washington still doesn’t understand Iran or where it’s headed,” Danny Citrinowicz, an Iran expert at the Israel-based Institute for National Security Studies, told X.
“Trump now faces three choices: accept Iran’s terms, walk away from negotiations, or resolve an empty system that allows him to declare war without resolving anything.”
It was also unclear that the ceasefire would now be supported by US allies and partners in the region. Israel, which has said it is not participating in the talks, has a clear goal of destroying the Iranian regime, while Gulf states such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are reportedly pushing for Iran’s fighting capabilities to be further curtailed.
Trump claimed that the government had already been replaced, in fact. “All the leaders are very different than the ones we started with who caused all these problems,” he said. “I think we can say this is a change of government.”
Iran’s new supreme leader is said to be Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of slain supreme leader Ali Khamenei, but he has not been seen in public since taking office and has not confirmed his whereabouts.
It was widely reported on Tuesday night (US time) that thousands of soldiers from the advanced 82nd division of the US military were being deployed to the Middle East. The number of troops varied from 1000 to 4000 in the reports, and it was not certain that they would be sent to Iran.
But analysts noted the decision to send troops – on top of US marines already heading to the area – was at odds with claims of progress towards an agreement.
“Trump’s decision to delay strikes on Iran’s power plants should not be seen as a slowdown,” said Arash Reisinezhad, an assistant professor at Tufts University’s School of Law and Diplomacy. “It can help stabilize the market and have an oil shock but also buy time for the military position.”
Pakistan is shaping up as a key mediator in potential talks between the US and Iran. The country’s army chief, Asim Munir, who visited Trump at the White House last year, has emerged as a mediator.
Brent crude prices fell again on Tuesday amid signs that a deal to end the war – or at least US participation in it – was close.
But beyond Trump’s remarks, which he made during a press conference in the Oval Office, the White House was reluctant to confirm any details of the talks with Iran.
“These are sensitive diplomatic discussions and the United States will not negotiate through the media,” Trump’s press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, said. “This is a fluid situation, and rumors about meetings should not be considered final until they are officially announced by the White House.”
The continued build-up of US troops in the region was not the only sign that the war may be escalating rather than waning. Israel bombed several areas in southern Lebanon, killing nine and raising the country’s death toll to 1,000, according to Lebanon’s health ministry.
Israel too outlined plans to take over the “security zone” southern Lebanon – Hezbollah’s stronghold – after blowing up bridges along an important river that will serve as a new border crossing.
At the same time, French President Emmanuel Macron said he had spoken with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and emphasized the need for Iran to stop its “unacceptable attacks” against countries in the region, and restore free navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.
“I asked Iran to participate in negotiations in good faith to pave the way towards withdrawal and establish a system that can meet the expectations of the international community regarding Iran’s nuclear and missile programs, as well as its disruptive regional activities,” Macron said.
By David Crowe, staff and corporate journalist
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Michael Koziol is the North American correspondent for The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald. He is a former Sydney editor, deputy editor of the Sun-Herald and federal political reporter in Canberra.Connect through X or email address.
