Washington: U.S. President Donald Trump declared he was "not satisfied" with Iran's latest peace proposal, asserting that the demands from the Islamic Republic's negotiators were unacceptable to him. This statement followed reports of Tehran sending a new proposal via Pakistani mediators as the U.S. awaited a cohesive response from Iran, which Trump described as "extremely disjointed."
According to Yonhap News Agency, Trump made these remarks during a press availability at the White House. He emphasized his dissatisfaction, stating, "They want to make a deal, but I am not satisfied with it. So we will see what happens." Trump elaborated that Iran's eagerness for a deal stems from their depleted military capacity, claiming, "Iran wants to make a deal because they have no military left, essentially."
While Trump did not provide specifics on what he found unsatisfactory in Iran's proposal, he noted that the requests were untenable. The ongoing negotiations aim to bridge differences over Iran's control over the Strait of Hormuz and U.S. demands for Iran to abandon nuclear ambitions and surrender its enriched uranium stockpile.
Trump highlighted the complexity of negotiating with Iran due to internal divisions within its leadership, making it challenging to form a unified proposal to resolve the stalemate with the U.S. "In Iran, the leadership is very disjointed. It's got two to three groups, maybe four," he explained. "With that being said, they all want to make a deal, but they are all messed up."
He further commented on the Iranian leaders' inability to cooperate, stating, "They are not able to get along with each other," which he said complicates the U.S. position. Trump noted that various factions within Iran, including hard-liners, have differing deal preferences but emphasized their lack of military capability, saying, "The hard-liners want to make a deal too. Why wouldn't they? They have no navy. They have no air force. they have no anti-aircraft. They have nothing."
Trump extended a ceasefire with Iran pending a unified peace proposal, while the U.S. continues to exert pressure through a naval blockade and economic sanctions. Previous direct negotiations in Islamabad on April 11 and 12 yielded no agreement.
Addressing the 1973 War Powers Resolution, Trump criticized its constitutionality, noting that many presidents have exceeded its constraints. The resolution mandates the president to end unauthorized military actions within 60 days without congressional approval, which Trump claims the current ceasefire has paused.
Additionally, Trump expressed optimism regarding the upcoming summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on May 14 and 15, describing it as "going to be amazing." The summit is anticipated to address various bilateral and global issues, including trade, Taiwan security, and the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran.