Donald Trump Rejects Iran’s Response to U.S. Proposal Delivered via Pakistani Mediators

President Donald Trump on Sunday rejected Iran’s response to a U.S. proposal to end the war, delivered through Pakistani mediators, as tensions rose in the Gulf.

Trump wrote on Truth Social, "I just read the response from those who call themselves Iran's representatives. I did not like it; it is completely unacceptable."

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The response, Iran’s IRNA and ISNA said, centered on ending the war and maritime security in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, while the Wall Street Journal reported it "does not resolve American demands for preconditions regarding the fate of Iran's nuclear program".

In the same reporting, Iran’s deputy foreign minister Kazem Ghareeb Abadi said, "We remind them that in times of war and peace, the Islamic Republic of Iran is the only one able to entrench security in this strait".

The dispute over the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s nuclear program remained central as the ceasefire showed signs of fraying, with Benjamin Netanyahu warning the war was "not over".

Netanyahu told the CBS programme 60 Minutes, "It’s not over, because there’s still nuclear material – enriched uranium – that has to be taken out of Iran."

Al Jazeera

The Guardian reported that the U.S. proposal was reported to consist of a one-page, 14-point memorandum of understanding to reopen the strait of Hormuz while setting a framework for further talks on Iran’s nuclear programme.

It also said the U.S. parameters reportedly included a moratorium on Iranian nuclear enrichment for up to 20 years and the transfer overseas of Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium, while the Iranian counter-proposal suggested a shorter moratorium and export of part of the HEU stockpile.

Trump responded shortly afterwards by saying, "I have just read the response from Iran’s so-called ‘representatives’. I don’t like it – totally unacceptable."

Al Jazeera reported that the United States continued to wait for Iran’s response to its latest proposal to end the war, after a ceasefire came into effect on April 8 and the talks focused on the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s nuclear programme.

“The United States continues to wait for Iran’s response to its latest proposal to end the war that spilled into the region, including Lebanon, and triggered a global energy crisis due to Tehran’s de facto blockade of the Strait of Hormuz”

Al Jazeera

The outlet said the U.S. proposal expects Iran to freeze uranium enrichment for at least 12 years and reopen the Strait of Hormuz within 30 days, and that Iran would hand over an estimated 440kg stock of uranium enriched to 60 percent.

Al Jazeera also reported that Iran’s delay was tied to the proposal being "an extremely technical text" and that Iranian negotiators were "concerned about every date and word in that text."

The same reporting described Iran’s reported three-phase approach, with the first phase lasting 30 days and seeking negotiations focused on permanently ending the war "on all fronts," including involving Hezbollah in Lebanon.

It added that the Iranian conditions included guarantees that attacks would not resume and that the guarantee must come from the United Nations Security Council, which Al Jazeera said could prove difficult for Washington to accept.