IN BRIEF
- Trump said he was going to review a new Iranian peace proposal but cast doubt over its prospects.
- The dour outlook comes after Iranian media said Tehran had submitted a 14-point proposal to mediator Pakistan.
United States President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he was reviewing a new Iranian proposal to end the war.
"I'll let you know about it later," he said before boarding Air Force One.
"They told me about the concept of the deal. They're going to give me the exact wording now."
Two semiofficial Iranian news outlets — Tasnim and Fars, both believed to be close to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps — said the country had sent a 14-point proposal via Pakistan in response to a nine-point US proposal.
Pakistan has hosted previous negotiations between Iran and the US.
Iranian media said their recent proposal included the withdrawal of US forces from areas surrounding Iran, lifting the blockade, releasing Iran's frozen assets, payment of compensation, lifting sanctions and ending the war on all fronts, including Lebanon, as well as a new control mechanism for the Strait of Hormuz.
Possibility of new strikes
Shortly after speaking to reporters, Trump sounded sceptical about Iran's plan in a post on social media.
He wrote on his Truth Social platform that he "can't imagine that it would be acceptable in that they have not yet paid a big enough price for what they have done to Humanity, and the World, over the last 47 years".
A senior Iranian official told Reuters news agency on Saturday that an Iranian proposal so far rejected by Trump would open shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and end the US blockade of Iran while leaving talks on Iran's nuclear program for later.
Trump rejected a previous Iranian proposal this week. However, conversations have continued, and the three-week ceasefire appears to be holding.
Asked if he might restart strikes on Iran, Trump replied: "I don't want to say that. I mean, I can't tell that to a reporter. If they misbehave, if they do something bad, right now we'll see. But it's a possibility that could happen."
On Friday, Trump said that "on a human basis", he did not prefer the military course of action and told congressional leaders he did not need their permission to extend the war beyond a deadline set by law for that day because the ceasefire had "terminated" hostilities.
Iran says it is ready for diplomacy
The Trump administration has repeatedly said it will not end the war — which has led to the deaths of thousands of people — without a deal that prevents Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, the primary aim Trump cited when he launched strikes in February in the midst of nuclear talks. Iran says its nuclear program is peaceful.
Speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss confidential diplomacy, a senior Iranian official told Reuters the Iranian government believed its latest proposal to shelve nuclear talks for a later stage was a significant shift aimed at facilitating an agreement.
Under the proposal, the war would end with a guarantee that Israel and the US would not attack again. Iran would open the strait, and the US would lift its blockade.
Future talks would then be held on curbs to Iran's nuclear program in return for the lifting of sanctions, with Iran demanding the US recognise its right to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes, even if it agrees to suspend its nuclear program.
"Under this framework, negotiations over the more complicated nuclear issue have been moved to the final stage to create a more conducive atmosphere," the official said.
The US and Israel suspended their strikes against Iran four weeks ago, but appear no closer to a deal to end a war that has caused the biggest disruption ever to global energy supplies, roiled global markets and raised worries about the possibility of a wider global economic downturn.
Iran has been blocking nearly all shipping from the Persian Gulf apart from its own for more than two months. Last month, the US imposed its own blockade of ships from Iranian ports.
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