Trump Rejects Iran Peace Proposal as Talks Stall Over Nuclear Demands
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is not inclined to accept Iran’s latest peace proposal, which calls for reopening the Strait of Hormuz and ending the U.S. naval blockade while deferring negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear program, according to multiple media reports citing White House officials.
Trump reviewed the proposal with senior national security aides during a meeting Monday in the White House Situation Room. One official familiar with the discussion said the president is unlikely to approve the terms, which were delivered to U.S. officials in recent days.
A U.S. official told The New York Times that accepting the proposal could undermine Trump’s long-standing position that Iran must not be allowed to develop nuclear weapons, potentially weakening his negotiating stance.
Speaking to Fox News on Monday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Iran’s offer “is better than what we thought they were going to submit,” but emphasized that any agreement must prevent Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
Trump reiterated last week that any deal would be reached on U.S. terms and timeline, adding there is “no time frame” for ending the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran and “no time pressure” on either the ceasefire or negotiations.
Meanwhile, Iran’s foreign minister, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, blamed the lack of progress on what he described as Washington’s “destructive habits.” Speaking Monday during a meeting in St. Petersburg with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Araghchi accused the United States of making unreasonable demands and frequently shifting its position.
“The main reasons for the slow progress of diplomacy are the U.S. continuation of its destructive habits, especially its insistence on putting forward unreasonable demands, frequently changing positions, rhetoric of threat and recurrent breaking of promises,” Araghchi said, according to a statement from Iran’s Foreign Ministry.
He added that Iran would decide how to proceed with diplomacy based on past experiences, citing what he described as military attacks by the United States and Israel during negotiations, strikes on nuclear facilities, and continued economic pressure through sanctions.
The current tensions stem from joint U.S.-Israeli strikes launched Feb. 28 on Tehran and other Iranian cities, which Iran says killed senior leaders and civilians. Iran responded with missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and U.S. interests in the region, while tightening control over the Strait of Hormuz.
A ceasefire took effect April 8, followed by talks between U.S. and Iranian delegations in Islamabad that failed to produce an agreement. The United States subsequently imposed a naval blockade on the critical waterway.
A new round of negotiations had been expected last week in Pakistan, but Iran declined to participate, citing the ongoing blockade and what it called excessive U.S. demands. (Source: IANS)
