U.S. and Iran Exchange Draft Proposals as Great-Power Involvement Escalates

Senior officials from the Trump administration, including Vice President JD Vance and Jared Kushner, are engaged in intensive backchannel diplomacy with Iran to establish a framework for ending the current seven-week conflict. Despite internal divisions within the Iranian government, both sides are reportedly exchanging draft proposals and weighing a two-week extension of the current ceasefire. The diplomatic push comes as the United States acknowledges a lack of viable military options in the immediate term. Simultaneously, the conflict is taking on broader geopolitical dimensions as Russia intensifies its real-time intelligence sharing with Iran to counter U.S. and Israeli operations. Reports also indicate that China is considering the supply of weaponry to Tehran, raising concerns among Western officials regarding the conflict evolving into a great-power proxy struggle. Asian stock markets have reacted with optimism to the potential for a peaceful resolution, despite ongoing volatility fueled by mixed signals from Washington. On the ground, military operations continue to escalate in Lebanon. The Israeli Air Force struck over 200 Hezbollah targets, including launchers and terror cells, in the last 24 hours. These strikes are in response to continuous rocket and drone barrages launched from southern Lebanon into northern Israeli communities. While the U.S. remains focused on diplomatic facilitation, the intensity of these proxy engagements continues to test the stability of the region ahead of the upcoming ceasefire expiration.