Iran's 10-Point Ceasefire Plan: Uranium Enrichment, Sanctions, and Hormuz Control
Iran presented a 10-point plan to the US as a framework for resolving the conflict, claiming "victory" and framing the document as a statement of Iran's non-negotiable core interests.
The plan's key demands included: continued Iranian control over the Strait of Hormuz; US acceptance of Iran's right to uranium enrichment; and lifting of all primary and secondary sanctions imposed on Iran.
Trump acknowledged receiving the plan and indicated that nearly all points of contention had been agreed upon — but the enrichment question and the scope of sanctions relief remained the critical outstanding issues.
Iran characterized the plan as reflecting its position of strength, not compromise, insisting the Strait's control was an inherent sovereign right, not a concession to be traded.
The plan became the substantive framework for the Islamabad talks scheduled for April 10, 2026.
Economic Sanctions: Primary, Secondary, and the Snapback Architecture
Economic sanctions are coercive measures short of armed force, applied by states or international organizations to compel a change in behaviour. The US sanctions architecture against Iran is among the most layered in the world, distinguishing between primary and secondary sanctions.
Iran's demand to lift "all primary and secondary sanctions" is far more sweeping than the 2015 JCPOA framework, which only partially and conditionally lifted sanctions — this represents Iran's maximalist opening position, not a specific negotiated text.
Iran's Nuclear Program: Legal Basis for Enrichment Claims
Iran's insistence on its "right to enrich" uranium rests on Article IV of the NPT, which guarantees non-nuclear-weapon states the "inalienable right" to develop and use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes. The Western position has been that enrichment at weapons-relevant purity levels exceeds peaceful use.
The 10-point plan's insistence on "acceptance of enrichment" by the US would require Washington to formally recognize Iran's enrichment program as legitimate — a more significant political concession than the JCPOA's tacit acceptance within strict limits.
UN Security Council Sanctions Resolutions on Iran
The UN Security Council has passed multiple binding resolutions on Iran's nuclear program under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, which authorizes enforcement measures including sanctions.
Key Details
- Resolution 1737 (2006): First UNSC sanctions on Iran — froze assets and banned nuclear-related trade
- Resolution 1747 (2007): Added arms embargo and expanded financial sanctions
- Resolution 1803 (2008): Extended travel bans and financial measures
- Resolution 1929 (2010): Most comprehensive UNSC Iran sanctions — included shipping, finance, insurance bans
- All UNSC resolutions on Iran were suspended under the JCPOA nuclear deal (2015) — but the snapback mechanism allowed their automatic revival
- Snapback triggered 2025: All pre-JCPOA UN sanctions automatically reinstated on September 27, 2025
- Permanent Members (P5) with veto power in UNSC: US, UK, France, Russia, China — the snapback mechanism was designed to be veto-proof
Iran's demand to lift "all primary and secondary sanctions" — if accepted — would require both US executive action on unilateral sanctions and a new UNSC resolution modifying or terminating the snapback-reimposed multilateral sanctions framework.
- Iran's 10-point plan: Accepted by Iran's Supreme National Security Council; transmitted to US through Pakistani mediation
- Core demands: Hormuz control, enrichment acceptance, all sanctions lifted
- Snapback sanctions reimposed: September 27, 2025
- Key UNSC resolutions: 1737 (2006), 1747 (2007), 1803 (2008), 1929 (2010) — all reinstated via snapback
- Iran's enrichment level: 60% U-235 (only non-nuclear-weapon state to produce 60% HEU)
- NPT Article IV: Inalienable right to peaceful nuclear energy
- Islamabad follow-up talks: Scheduled April 10, 2026