WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has rejected Iran’s response to a US-backed proposal aimed at ending the conflict in the Middle East, calling Tehran’s reply “totally unacceptable.”
According to international media reports, Iran delivered its response through Pakistan, which has been mediating between Washington and Tehran in efforts to end the conflict.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Saturday during a ceremony in Islamabad marking the first anniversary of “Marka-e-Haq” that Pakistan had received Tehran’s response to the US proposal.
“Our sincere efforts continue, and Field Marshal Asim Munir was telling me a while ago that we have received Iran’s response,” Sharif said, without disclosing further details.
Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported that Tehran’s proposal called for an immediate end to hostilities on all fronts, the lifting of sanctions, an end to the US naval blockade and guarantees against future attacks on Iran.
Reacting on Truth Social, Trump said: “I have just read the response from Iran’s so-called representatives. I don’t like it — Totally Unacceptable!”
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel should gradually reduce its dependence on American military assistance.
In an interview with CBS, Netanyahu said he wanted to phase out the annual $3.8 billion in US military aid to Israel “down to zero.”
Separately, Iran’s military warned that countries imposing sanctions on Tehran could face difficulties involving their vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical maritime trade routes.
The developments come amid continued tensions between Iran and the United States following recent attacks and military confrontations in key regional waterways.
