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Watch: Trump should end the war and ask Israel to leave Iran alone | The Hindu Editorial

March 25, 2026 5 min read International Relations GS2 (International Relations India's Foreign Policy West Asia)
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What Happened

  • The US administration has signalled a shift from military escalation to diplomacy, with President Trump indicating negotiations with Iran are "underway right now" to end the West Asia conflict.
  • The US transmitted a 15-point peace plan to Iran through Pakistan as an intermediary; the plan includes demands for a halt to uranium enrichment, cessation of support for proxies, and acknowledgement of Israel's right to exist.
  • Iran's official position denied direct talks with the US, with Iran's parliament speaker characterising Trump's claims as an attempt to "manipulate financial and oil markets."
  • The Trump administration eased some sanctions on Iran's oil — including a 30-day waiver for Iranian crude already at sea — signalling potential economic incentives as part of diplomacy.
  • Israel, a key US ally, reportedly was caught off guard by the diplomatic outreach; it has continued military operations against Iran and Lebanon, complicating the peace effort.

Static Topic Bridges

Iran's Nuclear Programme and the JCPOA Framework

Iran's nuclear programme has been the central flashpoint in US-Iran relations for over two decades. The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), negotiated in 2015 under the Obama administration, was a multilateral agreement (Iran + P5+1: USA, UK, France, Russia, China, Germany) designed to cap Iran's nuclear capabilities in exchange for sanctions relief.

  • JCPOA signed: July 14, 2015; implemented January 16, 2016
  • Key provisions: Limited Iran's uranium enrichment to 3.67% purity (weapons-grade requires ~90%), capped centrifuges, reduced enriched uranium stockpile from 10,000 kg to 300 kg
  • US withdrawal: May 2018 (Trump's first term); "maximum pressure" sanctions re-imposed
  • Iran's response: Progressively breached JCPOA limits — by 2023, it was enriching uranium to 60% purity and had produced small quantities at 84% purity (approaching weapons-grade)
  • IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) is the UN body mandated to monitor nuclear compliance under the NPT and JCPOA
  • The Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) — to which Iran is a signatory — prohibits non-nuclear states from acquiring nuclear weapons
  • Trump's 2026 peace plan reportedly makes nuclear disarmament "number one, two and three" on the list of demands

Connection to this news: The 15-point US peace plan's central demand — a complete halt to uranium enrichment — reflects the unresolved JCPOA fault line. Any diplomatic settlement must address what JCPOA originally attempted but failed to durably resolve.

US Sanctions as a Tool of Coercive Diplomacy

Economic sanctions are a primary instrument of US foreign policy short of military force. In the Iran context, US sanctions target oil revenues (the backbone of Iran's economy), banking access (SWIFT exclusion), and arms procurement. The Trump administration's selective easing of oil sanctions in 2026 signals the use of economic incentives as a bargaining chip.

  • The US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) administers sanctions; secondary sanctions can penalise third-country firms that deal with sanctioned entities
  • Iran sanctions history: Comprehensive US sanctions since 1979 (post-Islamic Revolution hostage crisis); significantly expanded post-2018
  • India stopped importing Iranian crude in May 2019 after the US declined to renew sanctions waivers for major buyers including India, China, Japan, South Korea, and Turkey
  • "Maximum pressure" campaign (2018–2020): Reduced Iran's oil exports from ~2.5 mb/d to under 0.4 mb/d
  • The 2026 waiver for oil already at sea represents a targeted, time-limited easing designed to signal willingness to negotiate without fully lifting the sanctions architecture

Connection to this news: Trump's dual move — maintaining military pressure while offering economic incentives — illustrates coercive diplomacy: using both the stick (ongoing military operations) and the carrot (sanctions relief) to bring Iran to the table.

Mediation and Multilateral Diplomacy in West Asia

The West Asia region has a complex history of inter-state conflict, with the US, regional powers, and international organisations playing different mediating roles. The involvement of Pakistan, Egypt, and Turkey as intermediaries in the 2026 Iran-US channel reflects the limits of direct dialogue and the importance of third-party facilitation.

  • The Abraham Accords (2020) — normalisation agreements between Israel and UAE, Bahrain, Sudan, Morocco — redrawn regional alignments but did not include Iran or Palestine
  • The JCPOA was mediated through EU3 (UK, France, Germany) + Russia + China; the US-Iran diplomatic track has historically been indirect (through Oman, Switzerland, Pakistan)
  • Arab League (est. 1945, HQ Cairo) — 22 member states; Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Jordan are key brokers for West Asia stability
  • Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) — 57 members; HQ Jeddah; India is an observer
  • India's West Asia policy: Balances ties with Iran (energy, Chabahar port) and Israel (defence, technology) and Gulf states (diaspora, remittances) — often characterised as "strategic autonomy"
  • India's diaspora in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states: over 8 million — remittances from Gulf are India's single largest source (~$35–40 billion annually)

Connection to this news: The use of Pakistan as an intermediary for the US-Iran peace plan reflects established patterns of indirect diplomacy in the region. India's interest lies in a negotiated settlement that stabilises energy flows and protects its Chabahar port investment in Iran.

Key Facts & Data

  • US 15-point peace plan delivered to Iran via Pakistan as intermediary
  • Key US demands: halt to uranium enrichment, cessation of proxy support, recognition of Israel's right to exist
  • JCPOA signed: July 14, 2015; US withdrew: May 8, 2018
  • Iran's enrichment level by 2023: up to 84% purity (weapons-grade: ~90%)
  • India's Gulf diaspora: over 8 million people; annual remittances ~$35–40 billion
  • India stopped importing Iranian crude: May 2019 (US sanctions waiver expiry)
  • Iran's parliament speaker characterised Trump's diplomacy claims as aimed at "manipulating financial and oil markets"
  • Iran's Strait of Hormuz partial reopening: "non-hostile vessels" permitted passage subject to Iranian authority coordination