Trump rejects Iranian peace proposals as ceasefire remains fragile

US President Donald Trump on Monday rejected the latest Iranian peace proposals transmitted via Pakistan, calling them “garbage” and “totally unacceptable” on Truth Social, and warned that the ceasefire between the US and Iran, in place since April 8, is on “life support.”

Tehran demands an end to the war on all fronts, including Lebanon, and wants the first stage of negotiations to focus on ending hostilities before moving to a second step to discuss its nuclear programme and support for proxy groups. Iran rejects the dismantling of its nuclear programme and wants sanctions lifted and recognition of its influence over the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most important oil transit chokepoint through which roughly a fifth of global energy exports passes. Trump has called the latest proposal containing these demands “garbage.”

Analysts say the administration faces a choice between escalation and concession, with a resumption of hostilities unpopular among Americans and a potential political liability ahead of November midterm elections. The latest Reuters/Ipsos survey published on Tuesday found two-thirds of Americans polled do not think Trump has given a clear rationale for the war. Trump’s approval rating is 36 percent, down from 47 percent last year.

“The White House is left with a set of bad options,” said Allison Minor, a former official at the US State Department and National Security Council and currently a director at the Atlantic Council’s Project for Middle East Integration. Minor said Trump is unlikely to be able to convince Iran to both strike a deal that limits its nuclear programme and give up control over the Strait of Hormuz. “He will be forced to prioritise one over the other and he will prioritise the nuclear deal,” she said.

Ian Lesser, a distinguished fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, said the Iranian leadership has proven more resilient and durable — with a higher threshold for physical and economic pain — than the US administration had expected. A report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies warned the conflict had already reduced Washington’s readiness for other potential confrontations, particularly with China.

Iran responded to Trump’s “Project Freedom” initiative — an effort to force the opening of the narrow waterway to allow stranded vessels to transit — with a barrage of missiles and drones targeting the United Arab Emirates. Trump suspended the Hormuz initiative within 24 hours, though a naval blockade of vessels linked to Iran seeking passage through the strait remains in place.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a CBS interview that Iran’s enriched uranium remains in the country and its enrichment sites have not been dismantled. “There is work to be done,” Trump said on Sunday regarding military moves.

Dennis Citrinowicz, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies, said Iran appears to view the crisis as an opportunity to expand its leverage and redefine deterrence vis-a-vis Washington. “The Iranian response leaves Trump with very few viable options, and all of them range from bad to worse: either accepting terms that are politically impossible in Washington, or escalating further in ways that could trigger a broader regional confrontation without actually changing Tehran’s core positions,” he said on X.