Trump reacts to Iran’s latest conditions for peace talks

Donald Trump rejected the conditions set by Iran on Thursday to restart peace negotiations. “Right now, I am not satisfied with what they are offering,” said the U.S. president in Washington before heading to Florida for the weekend.

The new Iranian proposal, conveyed to Pakistani mediators, was a “step towards the United States by offering to discuss the conditions set by Tehran for the opening of the Strait of Hormuz, alongside American guarantees to cease their attacks and lift the blockade of Iranian ports,” reports The Wall Street Journal.

“Previously, Iran demanded that the U.S. lift their blockade as a precondition to any negotiation, and that they agree on the terms of ending the war before addressing the future management of the strait as well as its nuclear program,” noted the American publication.

This new proposal then involved “examining issues related to the Iranian nuclear file in exchange for easing American sanctions,” according to sources close to the matter as reported in the economic journal.

Ending it once and for all with Iran

“The Iranian response indicates that diplomacy is not completely frozen,” believes Axios. This comes as “Trump maintains the American naval blockade and considers new military actions against Iran,” the outlet added.

Asked about the next steps, the American president once again preferred nuanced threats. “There are several options,” he told journalists. “Do we want to go in, bomb them relentlessly, and end them once and for all, or do we want to try to reach an agreement? Those are the options,” he said.

According to Axios, he also made it clear that he would “prefer not to resume bombings.”

Trump also declared the “end of hostilities” in the war against Iran in a letter addressed to Congress on Friday, sixty days after officially informing elected officials of the start of the offensive on March 2 – the bombings had begun on February 28.

“U.S. law requires the administration to obtain Congressional approval within this [sixty-day] period to continue the war, under the threat of ending it,” recalls El País.

“Through this message, Trump believes he has fulfilled his legal obligation and upholds the argument put forward by his administration, that the war ended with the ceasefire agreement on April 8, which the president had initially declared applicable for a few weeks and then indefinitely,” explains the Madrid-based newspaper.

However, the communication seems purely circumstantial, with no doubt at the Capitol that if Donald Trump wants to resume bombings, he will not seek authorization from anyone, least of all from Congress. On Friday, after sending his letter to the leaders of both chambers, he assured – calling this obligation for Congressional authorization “unconstitutional.”

Germany punished

Al-Jazeera spoke with General Mark Kimmitt, former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, who has no doubt that if Iran is unwilling to reach an agreement, “the United States will resort to the use of military force.”

But for the former diplomat, after the rejection of the latest Iranian proposal, “it would be wise to wait for a few more proposals to be put on the table before drawing any conclusions,” suggesting that Trump “will give the Iranians some time.”

However, the White House tenant shows no patience towards Germany and its Chancellor Friedrich Merz. On Friday, the Pentagon announced the withdrawal of 5,000 American troops from Germany within a year, out of the 36,000 present in the country.

“This announcement comes after the threats from the American president to reduce the number of American troops in Germany and his criticisms of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who said the United States had been humiliated by Iran,” observes Deutsche Welle.

Lawmakers, including Senator Jeanne Shaheen, have criticized the decision, which once again targets a NATO member and undermines the interests of Americans and Europeans for petty “grudges,” she stated.

Another decision seeming to point towards a direct punishment of Berlin for Mr. Merz’s statements: Donald Trump also announced on Friday “an increase in tariffs on cars and trucks from the European Union, a measure that will most severely affect Germany, ,” noted the German broadcaster.