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President Donald Trump rejected Iran’s latest peace proposal and warned of military action if negotiations collapse, underscoring mounting strains in efforts to preserve a Middle East ceasefire.
Trump told Al Jazeera on May 1 that “they want a deal, but I’m not satisfied with that proposal,” adding that Iran was demanding terms he could not accept.
He said he does not want fighting to resume. But if the talks fail, he said, he would “blast them away,” signaling he could use force. Trump has repeatedly insisted that any agreement with Iran must include guarantees that it will give up the development of nuclear weapons.
The war, triggered by US and Israeli attacks on Iran on Feb. 28, has been under a ceasefire for a third week since April 8. The impasse has persisted, however, with a 21-hour marathon round of talks in Islamabad, Pakistan, on April 11 ending without producing even a basic framework.
Iran recently sent a new peace proposal to the US through a Pakistani mediator. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran remained open to diplomacy if Washington changed its position. He also said Iran was prepared to strike US interests and energy infrastructure in the region if negotiations broke down.
Experts say both sides want to end the war quickly without losing face. Sultan Barakat, a professor at Hamad Bin Khalifa University in Qatar, said Iran’s decision not to try to break a US naval blockade by force and instead seek an alternative route paradoxically showed how strongly it wanted to reach a deal.
Doohyun Hwang
cow5361@bloomingbit.ioKEEP CALM AND HODL🍀
