President Donald Trump stated the ceasefire with Iran could soon be broken, criticizing Iran’s proposal as “stupid” while remaining open to negotiations.
US President Assesses Fragile Ceasefire
U.S. President Donald Trump assessed that the ceasefire with Iran could soon be broken. He criticized Iran’s proposal for an agreement, calling it “stupid,” while declaring readiness to continue negotiations.
Asked by reporters in the Oval Office whether the ceasefire remained in effect given the lack of an agreement with Iran, the president said the truce was “incredibly weak,” comparing its state to a patient on life support given a 1% chance of survival.
Iran’s “Stupid” Proposal and Shifting Stance
Trump described Iran’s response to his proposal, sent on Sunday, as “stupid” and so bad that he did not finish reading it, suggesting only Barack Obama could have accepted it. The president claimed that just two days earlier, Iranians had agreed to transfer enriched uranium stockpiles to the United States, but this was not included in the response he received.
Asked if he believed a diplomatic solution was still possible, Trump responded affirmatively but emphasized that the Iranians “keep changing their minds,” attributing this to disputes between more moderate regime representatives and “crazy people.”
“Just like in our country, we have crazy people too. I call them crazy people. I call them fools too. But in Iran, there are moderates who really want to make a deal, but there are also crazy people, and I think (the moderates) are a little afraid of them,” he assessed.
Iran’s Counter-Proposal and US Demands
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghei stated that Iran’s counter-proposal included ending the war, lifting the blockade of Iranian ports, and releasing Iranian assets frozen unjustifiably in banks. The spokesman also informed that Iran demands security guarantees for the entire region, including Lebanon, where Israel is fighting the pro-Iranian Hezbollah.
Tehran reportedly also demanded recognition of sovereignty over Hormuz and war reparations. The US had previously demanded, among other things, an end to Iran’s uranium enrichment program and the transfer of enriched uranium stockpiles.
The “Wall Street Journal” reported that Tehran “proposes diluting part of the highly enriched uranium and transferring the rest to another country.”
Iran also reportedly stated it was ready to suspend uranium enrichment, but for a shorter period than the 20-year moratorium proposed by the US. Iran also rejected the proposal to dismantle its nuclear facilities.