U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday said he was “not satisfied” with the latest Iranian negotiating proposal, as peace talks remain frozen despite a weeks-long ceasefire.
According to the IRNA news agency, Iran delivered its latest draft to mediator Pakistan on Thursday evening. “At this moment I’m not satisfied with what they’re offering,” Trump told reporters the next day, blaming stalled talks on “tremendous discord” within Iran’s leadership.
“Do we want to go and just blast the hell out of them and finish them forever—or do we want to try and make a deal?” he questioned, saying he would “prefer not” to take the first option “on a human basis.”
The president’s latest statements follows the White House writing to Congress, declaring hostilities are “terminated.” The move, per observers, seeks to avoid seeking congressional authorization for the war, as the president is required to do so within two months of launching any conflict.
The key sticking points of any agreement, according to observers, remain the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, and Iran’s nuclear enrichment program. Despite the stalemate, however, a ceasefire brokered by Pakistan persists.
Tehran’s leadership has repeatedly maintained it is eager to pursue dialogue, but will not accept any “imposition” of terms of peace. It is unclear what the latest proposal entails, but it is likely that it once again seeks to defer talks on the nuclear program, which Trump earlier indicated is his red line.
Another key stumbling block appears to be combative statements from both sides even amidst the ceasefire, The U.S. president has repeatedly threatened to revive airstrikes on Iran’s assets, while Supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei issued a statement this Friday threatening Iran’s enemies with “economic and cultural jihad.”