Iran has stated that the choice between a negotiated settlement and a return to open conflict rests with the United States, affirming Tehran’s readiness for either scenario. “The ball is now in the United States’ court to choose the path of diplomacy or the continuation of a confrontational approach,” Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi informed diplomats in Tehran, as reported by state broadcaster IRIB. He added, “Iran, with the aim of securing its national interests and security, is prepared for both paths.”
Earlier today, a senior Iranian military officer indicated that renewed fighting between the U.S. and Iran was “likely,” just hours after U.S. President Donald Trump expressed dissatisfaction with a new Iranian negotiating proposal. Iran reportedly delivered the draft proposal to mediator Pakistan on Thursday evening, though state media did not detail its contents. The conflict, initiated by the U.S. and Israel in late February, has been paused since April 8, with one unsuccessful round of peace talks held in Pakistan during this period.
“At this moment I’m not satisfied with what they’re offering,” Mr. Trump told reporters yesterday, attributing the stalled negotiations to “tremendous discord” within Iran’s leadership. He further questioned, “Do we want to go and just blast the hell out of them and finish them forever – or do we want to try and make a deal?” adding that he would “prefer not” to choose the first option “on a human basis.” This morning, Mohammad Jafar Asadi, a senior figure in the Iranian military’s central command, stated that “a renewed conflict between Iran and the United States is likely,” according to quotes published by Iran’s Fars news agency. He also asserted, “Evidence has shown that the United States is not committed to any promises or agreements.”
Iran’s judiciary chief, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, said yesterday that his country had “never shied away from negotiations,” but emphasized it would not accept an “imposition” of peace terms. The White House has refrained from detailing the latest Iranian proposal, but news site Axios reported that U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff had submitted amendments aimed at reintroducing Iran’s nuclear program to the negotiating table. These proposed changes reportedly include demands that Iran neither move enriched uranium from bombed sites nor resume activity there during talks.
News of the Iranian proposal briefly caused oil prices to drop by nearly 5%, though they remain approximately 50% above pre-war levels amidst the ongoing closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Since the war’s inception, Iran has maintained a stranglehold on the strait, disrupting major flows of oil, gas, and fertilizer to the global economy, while the U.S. has imposed a counter-blockade on Iranian ports.
Mr. Trump stated yesterday that the U.S. Navy was acting “like pirates” as he described an operation involving the seizure of a ship amidst the tit-for-tat American blockade of Iranian ports. “We… land on top of it and we took over the ship. We took over the cargo, took over the oil. It’s a very profitable business,” Mr. Trump remarked at a rally in Florida. “We’re like pirates,” he added, to cheers from the crowd. “We’re sort of like pirates. But we’re not playing games.” Mr. Trump’s comparison of U.S. naval activity to piracy comes as legal experts raise alarms regarding Iran’s blockade of the vital Strait of Hormuz and its intentions to levy a fee for ships transiting the waterway. Tehran effectively closed the waterway – a crucial route for oil and gas shipments – following the commencement of the U.S.-Israeli air campaign against Iran on February 28.
The U.S. announced a blockade of Iranian ports last month after peace talks in Pakistan failed to yield a breakthrough. U.S. Central Command, overseeing U.S. forces in the Middle East, reported that it had redirected 45 vessels as of yesterday to “ensure compliance” with its blockade. Meanwhile, the U.S. announced last night that it had approved significant arms sales to its Middle Eastern allies, including a $4 billion Patriot missile deal with Qatar and nearly $1 billion in precision weapons systems to Israel.
In Washington, politicians were grappling with a legal dispute concerning whether Mr. Trump had exceeded a deadline to seek congressional approval for the war. Administration officials contend that the ceasefire pauses a 60-day limit, after which congressional authorization would be required – a claim disputed by opposition Democrats. Mr. Trump faces escalating domestic pressure, marked by rising inflation, no clear victory in sight, and approaching midterm elections. “There has been no exchange of fire between United States Forces and Iran since April 7, 2026,” Mr. Trump stated in letters to congressional leaders, adding that the hostilities “have terminated.”
In Iran, the economic toll of the war is deepening. The U.S. has imposed new sanctions on three Iranian currency firms and warned others against paying a “toll” for safe passage through Hormuz, as demanded by Iran. The U.S. military reports that its blockade of Iranian ports has halted $6 billion in Iranian oil exports, while inflation in Iran, already high before the war, has surged past 50%. “For many people, paying rent and even buying food has become difficult, and some have nothing left at all,” 28-year-old Iranian Mahyar told an AFP reporter based outside the country. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei advised that “the owners of damaged businesses should avoid, as much as possible, layoffs and separation of their workforce.” He also threatened Iran’s enemies with “economic and cultural jihad.”
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