Iran demands Russia and China as guarantors before responding to Trump ceasefire — fears US deception tactic

Iran has yet to provide an official response to US President Trump's 15-point ceasefire proposal, as Tehran seeks international guarantees that the negotiations are not a deception tactic, Channel 12 reported citing sources familiar with the matter. Iran is seeking to broaden the ceasefire framework to include not only Gulf states but also Russia and China — which is among the reasons for Tehran's delay in formally responding. The report indicates Iran's fundamental distrust of a bilateral US-Iran negotiation and its desire for great-power witnesses to any agreement. Separately, Israeli and American officials are in active disagreement over how to proceed militarily while talks are ongoing. Israel is attempting to persuade the US that it is critical to continue striking Iranian national infrastructure even as negotiations play out. The US is opposing this, reportedly fearing that such attacks could undermine the diplomatic process. The tension reveals a split in the US-Israel joint strategy: Israel wants maximum attrition now while Iran is weakened; the US wants a ceasefire window preserved. This disagreement parallels Cooper-Zamir coordination discussions on D30 and could explain Zamir's push to complete 'critical' target list 'within a few days' before any diplomatic freeze sets in.