New Iran peace proposal triggers tense Trump-Netanyahu call, via Axios

Call

• President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed a new effort to reach a deal with Iran in a difficult call on Tuesday, three sources said, with one source saying Netanyahu's "hair was on fire" after the call.
• Trump told Netanyahu that the mediators were working on a "letter of intent" that both the U.S. and Iran would sign to formally end the war and launch a 30-day period of negotiations on issues like Iran's nuclear program and opening of the Strait of Hormuz, a U.S. source briefed on the call said.
• Two Israeli sources said the two leaders were in disagreement about the way forward, while the U.S. source briefed on the call said "Bibi's hair was on fire after the call."
• An Israeli source said Netanyahu wants to come to Washington in the coming weeks for a meeting with Trump.

Revised peace memo.

• A revised peace memo was drafted by Qatar and Pakistan with input from the other regional mediators to try to bridge the gaps between the U.S. and Iran, the sources said.
• Qatar and the other mediators — Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt — have been working over the last several days to refine the proposal to bridge the gaps, the three sources say.
• According to two Arab officials and an Israeli source, Qatar recently presented the U.S. and Iran with a new draft. A fourth source said there is no separate Qatari draft, but that Qatar is just trying to bridge the gaps from the previous Pakistani proposal.
• One Arab official said the Qataris sent a delegation to Tehran earlier this week for talks with the Iranians about the latest draft.

Goal of new efforts

• The goal of the new effort is to get more tangible commitments from the Iranians over steps regarding their nuclear program, and more specifics from the U.S. as to how frozen Iranian funds will be gradually released, an Arab official said.
• All three sources stressed it's unclear whether the Iranians will agree to the new draft or to shift their positions significantly.
• "As stated previously, Qatar has been and continues to support the Pakistan led mediation efforts, we have been consistently advocating for de-escalation for the sake of the region and its people," a Qatari diplomat said.