U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday that the fragile ceasefire with Iran is “on life support” and “unbelievably weak” after renewed exchanges of fire over the weekend, while dismissing Tehran’s latest peace proposal as “garbage.”
The sharp remarks came as Washington and Tehran remained deadlocked in negotiations. Earlier Monday, Iran rejected a U.S. proposal, describing it as “one-sided” and accusing Trump of making “unreasonable” and “excessive” demands.
The diplomatic standoff also rattled global energy markets, with Brent crude oil prices climbing to about $104 a barrel as concerns grew over instability in the Persian Gulf ahead of Trump’s state visit to China this week.
Despite the tensions, Trump said he still believed a diplomatic breakthrough was possible.
“A deal is still very possible,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, though he criticized Iranian leaders as “very dishonorable people” who repeatedly reverse their positions.
Trump claimed Iranian officials had initially agreed to surrender enriched uranium — one of the key sticking points in negotiations — before backing away from the proposal.
“Two days ago, they said, ‘You’re going to have to take it,’” Trump said, referring to the uranium stockpile. He added that Iran later changed its position because the commitment was not included in a written document.
The president also defended his broader strategy toward Iran amid criticism over the lack of a clear roadmap for ending the conflict.
“People say, what’s the plan?” Trump said. “I have the best plan ever. It’s a very simple plan: Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, and they won’t have a nuclear weapon.”
Trump had already signaled frustration Sunday in a social media post, calling Iran’s latest proposal “TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE!”
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei responded Monday by accusing the United States of imposing unfair demands and refusing to engage constructively.
“Everything we proposed was reasonable and generous,” Baghaei said during a news conference, arguing the offer would benefit both Iran and regional stability.
According to Baghaei, Iran’s proposal included demands for an end to what Tehran described as “maritime piracy” against Iranian vessels — a reference to the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports — as well as the release of frozen Iranian financial assets held abroad under American sanctions.
He also said Iran was seeking guarantees for safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and broader regional security, including stability in Lebanon, where Israel has continued military operations targeting Hezbollah despite a ceasefire.
