Trump’s 15-point plan to Iran to end war explained; after his big gamble fails, US President wants Tehran to hand over its sovereignty to Washington

The Trump administration is apparently seeking an end to the war with Iran, which started on February 28, 2026, with strikes targeting military assets, leading to the death of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. In an attempt to put an end to the conflict, which has kept the Middle East on the boil for almost a month now, the Trump administration has offered a 15-point ceasefire plan to Iran. The development comes even as more US troops head to the Middle East.

The plan was submitted to Iran by intermediaries from Pakistan, who have offered to host renewed negotiations between Washington and Tehran, a person briefed on the contours of the plan but who was not authorized to speak publicly about it told the Associated Press on Tuesday (March 25, 2026).

The proposal comes as the U.S. military is preparing to send at least 1,000 more troops from the 82nd Airborne Division to supplement some 50,000 troops already in the region.


If Tehran reaches an agreement with Washington, it would apparently pave the way for a popular uprising that would wipe out the cleric-led regime that has run the country for over four decades. If fresh negotiations take shape, the newly cooperative leadership would probably capitulate, surrendering Iran’s nuclear program and accepting strict constraints on its missiles.

Drawing a parallel with Venezuela, where a US military operation in early January 2026 led to the swift removal of the country’s defiant ruler, Nicolás Maduro, Iran, under a similar scenario, would be expected to grant sweeping oil and gas concessions to American companies.

Trump would seek control over the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, which is a crucial oil route. In return for yielding to US and Israeli demands, the regime would be allowed to remain in power and continue its crackdown on dissent with minimal interference.

Trump’s 15-point plan proposal to Iran

Trump’s 15-point plan proposal to Iran, according to Israeli Channel 12, begins with the removal of all nuclear-related sanctions on Iran alongside US assistance in advancing and developing a civilian nuclear project for electricity generation.

The plan also includes calls for the removal of the threat of sanctions being reimposed, while placing Iran’s nuclear program under a defined framework in which it would be frozen. Furthermore, enriched uranium is to remain, but under supervision and agreed limits, and the missile program is to be addressed at a later stage with limits on quantity and range.

Additionally, the use of nuclear programs would be restricted to civilian or defensive purposes only, with the development of existing nuclear capabilities halted and no further expansion of enrichment capabilities permitted.

It also specifies that there would be no production of weapons-grade nuclear material on Iranian soil, and that all enriched material is to be handed over to the IAEA within an agreed timeline.

Additionally, the proposal outlines that Natanz, Isfahan, and Fordow are to be taken out of use (destroyed), alongside the enforcement of international monitoring and verification mechanisms. The plan emphasises gradual implementation tied to compliance, along with additional regional and security understandings between the parties.

Why Iran’s surrender to the US is still a far-fetched dream

Talks of any nature between Washington and Tehran would face monumental challenges. This is most likely due to shifting objectives, particularly over Iran’s ballistic missile and nuclear programs. According to news agency AP, it's not clear who in Iran’s government has the authority to negotiate or would be willing to, as Israel has reportedly vowed to continue killing the country’s leaders.

Meanwhile, Iran has downplayed Trump's claim the United States was in negotiations to end the war, which has roiled energy and financial markets, saying the U.S. is negotiating with itself.

The rejection of negotiations by the unified command of the Iranian Armed Forces, which is dominated by the hardline elite Revolutionary Guards, comes amid reports of the US ceasefire plan to Tehran.

"Has the level of your inner struggle reached the stage of you (Trump) negotiating with yourself?" the top spokesperson for Iran's joint military command, Ebrahim Zolfaqari, said on Iranian state ‌TV, as reported by news agency Reuters. "People like us can never ⁠get along ⁠with people like you." "As we have always said... no one like us will make a deal with you. Not now. Not ever."

Iran's leadership has previously said it cannot negotiate with Washington, as it has attacked the country twice during high-level negotiations in the past two years.

The office of Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that he has been discussing the war this week with several counterparts, but Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, the speaker of Iran’s parliament, denied Trump’s claim of direct talks, and an Iranian military spokesperson declared that the fighting would go on.

Alluding to progress in talks with Iran, U.S. President Donald Trump claimed Iran shared an oil- and gas-related “present,” a day after telling reporters the Middle Eastern nation is eager for a deal to end the war.