The president has rejected the Iranian regime’s latest push to end the conflict, calling their reply to his one-page peace proposal ‘totally unacceptable’.
Although a ceasefire has been holding—albeit uneasily—for around a month, neither party appears publicly any nearer to a breakthrough that would see Iran stop menacing shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, or the US and Israel agree to bring hostilities to a close.
The lack of progress comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted the war is ‘not over’, while sporadic drone strikes continue despite the month-long pause in fighting. Diplomatic efforts, meanwhile, show little sign of producing a final agreement.
Senior figures in Tehran were presented last week with a 14-point peace plan, reportedly delivered on a single side of A4 through Pakistani intermediaries. President Trump’s terms included a demand that Iran abandon any nuclear enrichment ambitions for the next 20 years.
The proposal also reportedly required Iran to hand over its stockpile of nuclear material to its adversaries, prompting officials to send a counteroffer back to the White House.
“I have just read the response from Iran’s so-called ‘representatives’. I don’t like it – totally unacceptable.”