President Donald Trump has rejected the latest proposal by Iran to end the conflict between the two countries, stating on Friday that he was still unsatisfied, while blaming the “divided” leadership of Iran. Trump rejected this latest proposal almost immediately after it was transmitted to him. The official Iranian news agency IRNA reported that Iran had submitted its plan to the mediators in Pakistan on Thursday evening.
“They want to make a deal, but I am not satisfied, so we will see what happens,” Trump told reporters on Friday at the White House, without specifying what he believed were the shortcomings of the plan.
The fragile three-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran still holds, although both countries have accused each other of violations.
While the ceasefire has largely halted fighting in Iran, the United States and Iran are deadlocked over the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s commercial oil and gas transits during peacetime.
The blockade by the US navy, which prevents Iranian tankers from setting sail, is hurting the Iranian economy. The global economy is also under pressure, with Iran maintaining its grip on the strait.
Negotiations continued by phone after Trump canceled his envoys’ trip to Pakistan last week, the president emphasized. Trump proposed a new plan this week to reopen the crucial passage used by American Gulf allies to export their oil and gas.
Trump expressed his frustration with Iranian leaders on Friday, calling them divided.
“It’s a very divided leadership,” said Trump. “They all want to make a deal, but they’re all in a mess.”
Referring to a briefing he had on Thursday with Admiral Brad Cooper, chief of US Central Command, the president said the US only has two options in Iran.
“I mean, do we want to go and reduce them to ashes to end it once and for all? Or do we want to try to make a deal? I mean, those are the options,” Trump added.
Trump mentioned that he believed the Iranian leaders had made some progress in coming together around a solution.
“They have made some progress, but I’m not sure that they will ever achieve it,” he said. “There is a huge discord, they are having a lot of trouble getting along within Iran.”
Iran seeks support for its plan
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi made multiple phone calls on Friday to several regional counterparts, including those from Turkey, Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Azerbaijan, to inform them of his country’s latest initiatives to end the war, according to his social media accounts.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas also spoke on the phone with Araghchi on Friday. They discussed ongoing diplomatic efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and long-term security arrangements, Kallas’ office said in a statement.
Kallas also contacted EU partners in the Gulf.
Pakistani officials said efforts were ongoing to ease tensions between Iran and the United States. Former Pakistani Ambassador to Washington Masood Khan noted that the continued exchange of proposals indicated that the US and Iran were still committed to finding a diplomatic compromise.
These proposals come after the leaders of both countries exchanged some of their most virulent threats, fueling fears that military hostilities could resume at any time.
Bomb explosions in Iran
An explosion of unexploded bombs dating back to airstrikes during the war against Iran killed 14 members of the Revolutionary Guards, according to IRNA and other Iranian media outlets.
An article on the Nournews website, considered close to Iranian security services, indicated that the explosion occurred near the city of Zanjan in northwest Tehran.
This is the largest number of Revolutionary Guard members reported killed since the start of the ceasefire on April 7.
The report specified that the ammunition included fragmentation bombs and aerial mines dropped during the fighting.
Since the start of the war on February 28, at least 3,375 people have been killed in Iran and over 2,600 in Lebanon, where new clashes between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah erupted two days after the start of the war, according to authorities.
Additionally, 24 people have died in Israel and over 20 in Gulf Arab states. Seventeen Israeli soldiers in Lebanon and thirteen American military personnel across the region have been killed.
