More than a month into the war, Iran should use its upper hand not to keep fighting but to declare victory and pursue a settlement that prevents the next conflict, M. Javad Zarif has argued in Foreign Affairs. The former foreign minister and vice president laid out a specific package: Tehran would commit to never seeking nuclear weapons and down-blend its enriched uranium stockpile below 3.67 percent, while Washington would lift all sanctions and seek the revocation of Security Council resolutions against Iran.
The proposal, published by "Hvylya" with reference to Foreign Affairs, goes well beyond a simple cease-fire. Zarif argued that any truce without addressing fundamental disagreements would be inherently fragile. "It wouldn't take much - another miscalculation, misplaced political opportunism - for the shooting to resume," he wrote. Instead, officials should use the catastrophe to end 47 years of belligerence.
The deal would include Iran's parliament ratifying the IAEA Additional Protocol, placing all nuclear facilities under permanent international monitoring. China and Russia, together with the United States, would help establish a fuel enrichment consortium with Iran and interested Persian Gulf neighbors. Zarif also proposed that nine regional states - from Bahrain to Yemen - begin cooperating on a security network to ensure nonaggression and freedom of navigation.
Zarif acknowledged that Washington would need to finance reconstruction of war damages in Iran, including compensating civilians. "Iranian diplomats will not be able to proceed with a deal otherwise," he wrote, adding that the cost would likely be far less than continuing the expensive and unpopular war. The two sides would also sign a permanent nonaggression pact and explore restoring diplomatic and consular services.
Trump, despite his weakened position, continues to issue contradictory statements about negotiations, Zarif noted. On Wednesday, the president simultaneously threatened to bomb Iran "back to the Stone Age" while promising the campaign was weeks from completion. But the White House is clearly worried that rising energy costs created by the bombardment are a political liability - a dynamic Zarif said could turn Trump's miscalculation into an opportunity to claim a lasting victory for peace.
Also read: Why Brookings scholars warn that no nuclear deal can satisfy all major powers at once.