The Wall Street Journal: Saudi Arabia’s New Attempt for a Ceasefire Against Iran’s Tough Conditions
The Wall Street Journal reported, citing Arab diplomats, that Saudi Arabia has initiated a new round of efforts to establish a ceasefire, but the conditions put forth by Iran have made the negotiations challenging.
On Thursday, The Wall Street Journal, quoting several unnamed Arab diplomats, reported the start of a new round of efforts to establish a ceasefire, an initiative that, according to these sources, was launched by Saudi Arabia this week.
According to the newspaper, this initiative continues efforts that were pursued by regional countries even before the start of the war and continued in the early days of the conflict. The aim of this round of consultations is for Iran, the United States, and Israel to first agree to enter a period of calm before a ceasefire, a phase that could pave the way for confidence-building and ultimately an agreement on a ceasefire.
However, The Wall Street Journal wrote, quoting Arab diplomats, that the conditions set by the Islamic Republic in recent days for stopping the war have made the work of mediators, including Saudi Arabia, difficult.
Among these conditions is a guarantee that attacks on Iran will not be repeated, a point emphasized by Kazem Gharibabadi, the Deputy Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic, on March 9 in an interview with the media, stating that if a ceasefire is to be established, there must be a guarantee that aggressive actions against Iran will not occur again.
According to this report, other conditions set by Iranian officials include the complete halt of airstrikes before the start of negotiations, war reparations, and the withdrawal of American forces from the region.
The Wall Street Journal wrote that the quick fulfillment of these conditions seems unlikely, and proposing them could indicate either real or false confidence in Tehran, a confidence that has especially been strengthened after the recent shock to the global energy market.
Meanwhile, neither Israel nor the United States has so far called for a ceasefire, with both emphasizing that operations will continue until their objectives are achieved. At the same time, U.S. President Donald Trump previously spoke of Iran’s unconditional surrender.