Trump Reviews Iran Peace Offer but Warns New Strikes Remain on the Table
NBC News reported Saturday that President Donald Trump said he was examining a fresh Iran peace offer but openly questioned whether the proposal would prove workable. The conflict is now in its tenth week with no resolution in sight.
Trump Signals Deep Skepticism on Iran Peace Offer
Writing on Truth Social, Trump said he could not imagine the Iran peace offer being acceptable. He argued Tehran had not yet paid a sufficient price for decades of destabilising behaviour. Speaking separately to reporters at Palm Beach International Airport, he said he would share his decision once he had reviewed the exact wording of the proposal.
Trump had already told reporters on Friday that he was unsatisfied with the offer. By Saturday he indicated he wanted to study its specific language before rendering a final judgment.
What Iran Is Proposing
The latest Iranian proposal would reopen the Strait of Hormuz to international shipping and end the US blockade in exchange for deferring discussions on Iran’s nuclear programmes to a later date. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps issued a pointed warning Sunday, saying the window for American decision-making was narrowing. The IRGC framed Trump’s choice as a binary one, between a difficult military campaign and an unfavourable agreement.
However, a senior Iranian parliamentary official signalled through semiofficial state media that any talks on Hormuz must be preceded by a full halt to Israeli strikes on Lebanon, complicating the path to a deal.
Background: A Weekslong Military and Naval Standoff
Iran has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz to non-Iranian shipping for over two months. The United States has enforced its own counter-blockade since mid-April, deploying two carrier strike groups, more than a dozen vessels, and over a hundred aircraft. Last month a US Navy destroyer seized an Iranian cargo ship that attempted to breach the blockade.
Trump has described the American blockade as a “friendly” operation, claiming it has gone unchallenged. Military advisers briefed him last Thursday on options both at the strait and inside Iran.
Congress Pushes Back as 60-Day Clock Expires
Pressure from Capitol Hill is intensifying. The War Powers Resolution of 1973 requires the president to seek congressional authorisation once a military operation passes its sixtieth day. US operations in Iran crossed that threshold earlier this week. The Senate voted for a sixth time Thursday to reject a war powers measure that would halt operations without congressional approval. The resolution failed 47-50, with nearly all Democrats backing it and most Republicans opposing it.
Over 2,600 people have been killed in Lebanon since early March, according to Lebanese health authorities, as Israeli strikes continued there despite a nominal ceasefire.
Read Next: Fed Holds Rates Steady as Trade War Uncertainty Clouds Outlook
