US President Donald Trump has expressed his dissatisfaction with Iran’s latest peace proposal, rejecting the plan almost immediately after its delivery. According to Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency, Iran submitted the proposal to mediators in Pakistan on Thursday night.
“They want to make a deal, I’m not satisfied with it, so we’ll see what happens,” Trump told reporters on Friday as he departed the White House for Florida. The fragile three-week ceasefire between the US and Iran appears to be holding, despite both nations exchanging accusations of violations. Trump did not specify the shortcomings of the latest proposal, stating, “They’re asking for things I can’t agree to.”
Negotiations have continued via phone after Trump canceled his envoys’ trip to Pakistan last week. The President voiced frustration with Iran’s leadership, describing it as “very disjointed” and “messed up,” despite their collective desire for a deal. Since April 13, the US has maintained a naval blockade of Iranian ports along the Strait of Hormuz, in response to Iran’s near-total closure of the waterway.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration declared the war effectively over, having reached a legal deadline for congressional approval. Under the War Powers Resolution of 1973, the US president must conclude a military campaign after 60 days unless Congress declares war, authorizes military force, or grants a 30-day extension. Trump formally notified lawmakers of the war on March 2, implying a May 1 deadline. However, a senior administration official, speaking anonymously to AP, stated the war had been “terminated” as no exchange of fire between the US and Iran had occurred since April 7. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth also indicated that the “60-day clock pauses or stops” due to the ceasefire. A sixth attempt to halt the war in Iran was rejected in the Senate on Thursday.
Separately, Iran’s supreme leader vowed on Thursday to safeguard the Islamic Republic’s nuclear and missile capabilities, a significant point of contention. In a statement read on state television, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei asserted that the only place for the US in the Persian Gulf was “at the bottom of its waters.” He emphasized that “Ninety million proud and honorable Iranians… regard all of Iran’s identity-based, spiritual, human, scientific, industrial and technological capacities – from nanotechnology and biotechnology to nuclear and missile capabilities – as national.” Khamenei’s aide, Mohsen Qomi, dismissed reports of the leader’s ill health as “a trick by the enemy,” confirming his active management of affairs, including negotiations and field operations.
Adding to regional tensions, Israel conducted several airstrikes on southern Lebanon on Friday, resulting in at least 10 fatalities. Concurrently, the militant Hezbollah group claimed to have launched rockets and drones at northern Israel, wounding two soldiers. These attacks persist despite a ceasefire in effect since April 17. Israel’s military advised residents of Habboush, Lebanon, to evacuate, warning of danger near Hezbollah facilities. An airstrike in Habboush killed six people, including a woman and a child. The state-run National News Agency reported four additional deaths in other southern villages. Hezbollah issued multiple statements confirming its strikes on Israeli military positions.
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