Donald Trump says he is ‘not satisfied’ with Iran’s latest proposal in negotiations to end the US-Iran war, as a shaky ceasefire holds and a standoff over the Strait of Hormuz continues
US President Donald Trump has expressed his dissatisfaction with Iran’s most recent proposal in the ongoing negotiations to conclude the war between the two nations. “They want to make a deal, I’m not satisfied with it, so we’ll see what happens,” Mr Trump informed reporters on Friday at the White House.
Mr Trump did not provide further details on what he perceives as the proposal’s deficiencies. The president revealed that discussions have continued over the phone after he cancelled his envoys’ journey to Pakistan last week.
He voiced frustration with Iran’s leadership, which he characterised as divided. “It’s a very disjointed leadership,” he stated. “They all want to make a deal, but they’re all messed up.”
Iran delivered its latest proposal for negotiations with the US to mediators in Pakistan, according to Iran’s state-run Irna news agency report on Friday. There was no information regarding the specifics included in the plan submitted late on Thursday, as per the report.
A fragile three-week ceasefire between the US and Iran seems to be holding, despite both countries accusing each other of breaches.
While the ceasefire has largely put a stop to combat in Iran, the US and Iran are engaged in a standoff over the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s traded oil and gas flows during peacetime.
A US Navy blockade preventing Iran’s tankers from reaching the sea has left Iran’s economy in a precarious state.
The global economy is also feeling the strain as Iran continues to maintain its stranglehold on the strait.
This week, Mr Trump proposed a new strategy to reopen the vital route used by America’s Gulf allies to export their oil and gas.
Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi engaged in a series of calls on Friday with numerous regional counterparts, including those from Turkey, Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Azerbaijan, to update them on his nation’s latest efforts to end the war, as per his social media.
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas also had a phone conversation with Mr Araghchi on Friday.
They discussed ongoing diplomatic endeavours to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and long-term security arrangements, according to a statement from Mr Kallas’s office.
Mr Kallas has also been liaising with the EU’s Gulf partners.
Officials from Pakistan have stated that attempts to alleviate tensions between Iran and the US are ongoing. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif informed a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday that a response from Iran was still pending.
Earlier this week, Mr Trump told Axios that he had dismissed Iran’s offer to reopen the strait in return for the US Navy lifting its blockade of Iranian ports.
The Iranian proposal would have postponed negotiations on the country’s nuclear programme to a later date, two regional officials revealed earlier this week.
The officials, who were privy to the proposal, spoke anonymously to discuss confidential negotiations between Iranian and Pakistani officials.
One of the primary reasons Mr Trump has cited for going to war was to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
Since the conflict commenced on 28 February, a minimum of 3,375 individuals have been killed in Iran, and over 2,600 people in Lebanon, where fresh clashes between Israel and the Iran-supported militant group Hezbollah erupted two days post the war’s onset, as per authorities.
Furthermore, 24 individuals have lost their lives in Israel and more than 20 in Gulf Arab states.
Seventeen Israeli soldiers in Lebanon and 13 US service members across the region have been killed.