"Having rebuffed Trump's highly unorthodox invitation to attend a gathering in the Egyptian resort of Sharm El-Sheikh hastily arranged to celebrate the end of the war in Gaza and herald a supposed new era of peace in the Middle East, senior regime figures projected an uncompromisingly familiar posture. They were in no mood to forgive the US bombing last June of their nuclear facilities in Fordow, Isfahan and Nantanz, or for the assassination of General Qasem Soleimani, the commander of the Revolutionary Guards Qods forces, in January 2020 during Trump's first presidency."
"While favoring diplomatic engagement, neither President [Masoud] Pezeshkian nor I can engage with counterparts who have attacked the Iranian People and continue to threaten and sanction us, Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Aragchi, posted on social media, explaining the refusal of the invite to Sharm el-Sheikh."
"The price for ending nearly half a century of hostilities between Washington and Tehran dating back to the 1979-81 US embassy takeover that followed the Iranian revolution would be for the theocratic regime to stop funding militant proxies like Hamas and Hezbollah and finally recognize Israel's right to existence, he said."
Trump offered an unexpected proposal for peace with Iran during a Knesset appearance, suggesting normalization if Iran ceased funding militant proxies and recognized Israel. The proposed terms referenced decades of hostility dating to the 1979-81 US embassy takeover. Israeli politicians reacted skeptically given longstanding fears of an existential Iranian threat. Tehran rejected invitations to a Sharm El-Sheikh gathering and emphasized unwillingness to engage with counterparts responsible for attacks, bombings of nuclear sites, and the 2020 assassination of General Qasem Soleimani. The combination of historical grievances and current sanctions makes swift progress unlikely.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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