President Donald Trump declared Monday that the ceasefire with Iran is “on massive life support” after he rejected Tehran’s latest counterproposal to end the war, calling it “totally unacceptable” and a “piece of garbage.”
Trump made the remarks to reporters in the Oval Office, days after Iran submitted its response to a U.S. peace proposal through Pakistani mediators.
The U.S. proposal, a 15-point framework passed to Tehran through Pakistan in March, called for an end to Iran’s nuclear program, limits on its ballistic missile capabilities, reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, restrictions on Iran’s support for armed militant groups, and sanctions relief in exchange.
Iran rejected those terms. Tehran’s counterproposal, a 10-point plan submitted Sunday to Pakistani intermediaries, included a demand that the U.S. recognize Iran’s sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s Foreign Ministry described its offer as “reasonable” and “generous,” and insisted the country sought only its “legitimate rights.”
Trump disagreed. He also accused Tehran of reneging on a prior agreement that would have allowed the U.S. to remove Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium.
The ceasefire itself has been fragile since Pakistan brokered a conditional two-week halt to hostilities on April 8. That truce has since been extended, but no permanent settlement has been reached.
Iran’s government warned Monday that it remains prepared to resume fighting if negotiations fail. “Extremisms and violence carry consequences,” the European Union’s foreign policy chief said in a separate statement, as the EU adopted new sanctions targeting Israeli settlers in the West Bank.
Analysts and regional sources told CNN that meaningful progress is unlikely until Trump holds a planned summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping later this week. China has played a behind-the-scenes role in the broader diplomatic picture.
