WASHINGTON DC: US President Donald Trump has rejected Iran’s response to a US proposal aimed at ending the conflict, describing it as “totally unacceptable.”
According to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency, Tehran sent its response through Pakistan, which has been acting as a mediator. Iran’s proposal reportedly called for an immediate end to fighting on all fronts, the removal of the US naval blockade, and assurances that no further attacks would be carried out against the country.
A ceasefire intended to support negotiations to end the conflict — launched by the US and Israel in February — has mostly held, although sporadic exchanges of fire have continued, according to BBC.
Earlier this week, Trump said the war in Iran would be “over quickly.”
However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium must be eliminated before the conflict can truly end.
“There are still enrichment sites that need to be dismantled,” Netanyahu said in a preview of an interview scheduled to air on CBS’s 60 Minutes.
On Sunday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian did not directly mention the proposal but declared: “We will never bow before the enemy, and if discussions or negotiations take place, it should not be seen as surrender or retreat.”
Trump later wrote on Truth Social: “I have just read the response from Iran’s so-called ‘Representatives.’ I don’t like it — TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE.”
US news outlet Axios reported that the one-page, 14-point US memorandum included proposals such as suspending Iran’s uranium enrichment programme, lifting sanctions, and restoring free navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.
The report cited two US officials and two additional unnamed sources familiar with the matter. According to those sources, many of the proposed conditions would only take effect once a final agreement was reached.
Iran has continued blocking the Strait of Hormuz, contributing to rising global oil prices.
Meanwhile, the US has maintained a blockade of Iranian ports in an effort to pressure Tehran into accepting its terms, a move that has further angered Iranian authorities.
(Inputs from BBC)
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