The US-Israel war on Iran has entered its 13th day with over 1,300 people killed in Iran and global oil prices rocketing above $100 per barrel. The conflict, which began on February 28 with the assassination of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during nuclear negotiations in Geneva, has severely disrupted the global economy and prompted the International Energy Agency to authorize the release of 400 million barrels of oil from emergency reserves.
On Wednesday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian published specific diplomatic terms to end the hostilities. Posting on X after consultations with Russian and Pakistani leaders, Pezeshkian demanded the recognition of Iran’s legitimate rights, the payment of reparations, and firm international guarantees against future aggression.
The demands follow US President Donald Trump’s recent call for Iran’s unconditional surrender. Pezeshkian dismissed the demand as a dream but issued a public apology to neighboring Gulf Arab states for collateral damage, offering to cease strikes on their territories provided they do not host US offensive operations.
Iranian forces have utilized asymmetric warfare tactics, targeting Gulf energy infrastructure and US bases to deadlock the conflict. Tehran has severely disrupted the Strait of Hormuz and vowed to block all oil passage, a strategy that has spiked global oil prices and increased inflation pressures in the United States ahead of the November midterm elections.
Pentagon officials disclosed in a classified briefing that Washington spent over $11.3 billion during the first six days of the conflict. The ongoing war has exposed internal divisions in Tehran. While Pezeshkian’s political leadership seeks an off-ramp, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the newly appointed Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, view the conflict as an existential battle and favor continued militarized defiance.