US President Donald Trump has called Iran’s response to Washington’s latest proposal for ending the war “totally unacceptable,” after Tehran insisted it would not surrender its strategic leverage in the Strait of Hormuz without concessions.
The contents of Iran’s response have not been made public, but according to US media reports, Tehran’s counterproposal focused on ending the war and securing guarantees that hostilities would not resume, while offering none of the nuclear concessions sought by Washington.
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“I have just read the response from Iran’s so-called ‘Representatives.’ I don’t like it — TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE!” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Sunday. He previously told Axios that the Iranian reply was “inappropriate,” but did not elaborate.
Iran’s response allegedly called for a broader end to hostilities across multiple fronts, including Lebanon, before the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and further nuclear talks, according to AP. Trump, however, has continued to demand immediate restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program and has repeatedly threatened to resume large-scale military action if Tehran refuses to accept US terms.
Iran Calls Hormuz Its ‘Atomic Bomb’
Trump has repeatedly extended the ceasefire, arguing that Iran’s leadership is divided and unable to produce a unified response. Iranian officials, however, have publicly rejected Washington’s terms as an ultimatum, accusing the US of trying to turn negotiations into surrender talks after failing to achieve its stated goals on the battlefield.
Tehran has also made clear that it views control over the Strait of Hormuz as a central bargaining chip, with Mohammad Mokhber, a top adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, comparing the waterway’s strategic value to an “atomic bomb” and vowing that Iran would not “forfeit the gains of this war.”
Fragile Gulf Diplomacy Falters
The latest exchange comes after weeks of fragile diplomacy and intermittent clashes around the Strait of Hormuz, where the US has enforced a naval blockade and Iran has sought to assert control over the strategic waterway.
US officials had hoped Iran’s long-awaited response would show progress after a 10-day delay, Axios reported. An Iranian source, however, dismissed Trump’s dissatisfaction, telling Tasnim that Tehran’s proposal was aimed at protecting Iranian rights rather than pleasing the US president.
The diplomatic setback also comes as tensions rise over possible European involvement in the Gulf. France and Britain had been discussing a multinational mission to secure navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, while Tehran had warned that any such deployment would draw an immediate response.
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