U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday rejected Iran’s response to a US proposal for peace talks to end the war, as two ships were allowed to pass through the blockaded Strait of Hormuz.
“I have just read the response from Iran’s so-called “Representatives.” I don’t like it — TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE,” Trump posted on Truth Social, without giving further detail.
Iranian state media said the response focused on ending the war on all fronts, especially Lebanon, and on the safety of shipping through the strait, Iranian state TV said, without indicating how or when the vital waterway might reopen.
It followed a US proposal to end fighting before starting talks on more contentious issues, including Iran’s nuclear program.
Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency said Tehran’s proposal included an immediate end to the war on all fronts, a halt to the US naval blockade, guarantees of no further attacks on Iran and the lifting of sanctions on Iran, including a US ban on Iranian oil sales.
The Wall Street Journal quoted unnamed sources saying Iran proposed diluting some of its highly enriched uranium and transferring the remainder to a third country.
Pakistan, which has been mediating talks over the war, forwarded the Iranian response to the US, a Pakistani official said.
Despite a month-old ceasefire in the conflict and after some 48 hours of relative calm, hostile drones were detected over several Gulf countries on Sunday, underlining the threat still facing the region.
Still, the QatarEnergy-operated carrier Al Kharaitiyat passed safely through the strait and was heading for Pakistan’s Port Qasim, according to data from shipping analytics firm Kpler.
It was the first Qatari vessel carrying liquefied natural gas to cross the strait since the US and Israel started the war on February 28.
In addition, a Panama-flagged bulk carrier bound for Brazil that had previously attempted to transit the strait on May 4 passed through, using a route designated by Iran’s armed forces, Tasnim reported on Sunday.
