Trump rejects Iran peace deal, vows blockade until nuclear concessions

Trump further indicated that the Iranians wanted to make a deal to end the war, but that they suffered from a leadership crisis that made finalizing terms difficult.

Trump made the remarks in an appearance on Newsmax, in which he highlighted the military accomplishments of the U.S. in destroying Iranian military infrastructure.

The details of the latest plan were unclear, and President Trump did not specify his objections.

<p>The president is reportedly discussing new options for attacking Iran while facing a legal deadline on continuing the conflict.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.twz.com/news-features/trump-at-a-crossroads-for-continuing-the-war-with-iran">Trump At A Crossroads For Continuing The War With Iran</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.twz.com">The War Zone</a>.</p>

<p>Tehran has delivered a new offer to Washington that is unlikely to move the needle as blockade aims to cripple Iran's oil infrastructure.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.twz.com/news-features/prospects-dimming-on-iran-u-s-deal-to-open-strait-end-war">Prospects Dimming On Iran-U.S. Deal To Open Strait, End War</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.twz.com">The War Zone</a>.</p>

As the U.S. blockade and Iranian mines and drones halt shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. gas prices also reached a level not seen since just after Russia’s Ukraine invasion.

President Trump's war on Iran is fundamentally reshaping the Gulf region, from near-term shocks to Tehran's oil-based economy under a crippling U.S. naval blockade to the long-term impact of the United Arab Emirates ditching the OPEC cartel.

<p>Iran delivered its response to the latest U.S. amendments to a draft plan to end the war, but President Trump said told reporters he was "not satisfied with what they are offering."</p><p><strong>The big picture: </strong>The Iranian response is a signal that the diplomacy is not entirely frozen. It comes as Trump <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/04/29/trump-iran-nuclear-deal-blockade" target="_blank">maintains</a> a U.S. naval blockade and <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/04/30/trump-military-plans-iran-briefing-centcom" target="_blank">considers new military action</a> against Iran.</p><hr /><ul><li>A regional official told Axios the response was delivered to the U.S. on Thursday via Pakistani mediators.</li><li>On Friday, Trump told reporters: "We have just had a conversation with Iran. We will see what happens. But I am not happy."</li></ul><p><strong>Catch up quick:</strong> Last weekend, <a href="https://www.axios.com/world/iran" target="_self">Iran</a> gave the U.S. a <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/04/27/iran-us-hormuz-strait-nuclear-talks-proposal-pakistan" target="_blank">proposal</a> to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end the war, with nuclear negotiations postponed for a later stage.</p><ul><li>On Monday, White House envoy Steve Witkoff sent a list of amendments that focus on inserting the nuclear issue back into the draft text, according to a source with knowledge. </li><li>The source said one of the amendments included a demand that Iran commit not to try to move any enriched uranium out of its bombed nuclear facilities, or restart any activity at those sites, as long as negotiations continue.</li></ul><p><strong>What they're saying: </strong>Trump said the Iranian leadership is "very disjointed" and includes factions that disagree on the way forward. "They have made strides but I am not sure they will ever get there," he told reporters in the Oval Office.</p><ul><li>A day earlier, Trump said "they want to make a deal badly," but "nobody knows for sure who the leaders are."</li><li>The Iranians claim it's Trump who is desperate for a deal.</li><li>"We do not detail private diplomatic conversations. President Trump has been clear that Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon, and negotiations continue to ensure the short- and long-term national security of the United States," White House spokesperson Anna Kelly told Axios.</li></ul><p><strong>The other side: </strong>Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in phone call with his counterparts from Turkey, Egypt and Qatar that Iran is ready to pursue diplomacy "if the excessive demands, threatening rhetoric, and provocative actions of the American side change," per Tehran's readout.</p><p><strong>Behind the scenes:</strong> On Thursday afternoon, Trump huddled with his top national security team on Iran for around 45 minutes in the White House Situation Room.</p><ul><li>Vice President Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Witkoff attended.</li><li>CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine briefed Trump and his team on new plans for possible military action against Iran, two U.S. officials said.</li></ul><p><strong>What's next: </strong>"There are options. 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. Those are the options," Trump said on Friday when asked about the briefing. </p><ul><li>He added that he prefers not to resume the bombing. </li></ul>

<p>President Trump told Axios he's going to keep <a href="https://www.axios.com/world/iran" target="_blank">Iran</a> under a naval blockade until the regime agrees to a deal that addresses U.S. concerns about its nuclear program.</p><p><strong>Why it matters:</strong> Trump is rejecting <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/04/27/iran-us-hormuz-strait-nuclear-talks-proposal-pakistan" target="_blank">an Iranian proposal</a> to first open the Strait of Hormuz and lift the blockade, while postponing nuclear talks to a later stage. </p><hr /><p><strong>Behind the scenes:</strong> U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) has prepared a plan for a "short and powerful" wave of strikes on Iran in hopes of breaking the negotiating deadlock, three sources with knowledge said. </p><ul><li>After the strikes, which would likely include infrastructure targets, the U.S. would press the regime to come back to the negotiating table and show more flexibility.</li><li>Trump told Axios he saw the blockade as "somewhat more effective than the bombing," and the sources said he had yet to order any kinetic action as of Tuesday night. He did <a href="https://truthsocial.com/%40realDonaldTrump/posts/116486959174837748" target="_blank">post</a> an AI-generated meme of himself holding a gun with a warning to Iran and the tagline, "NO MORE MR. NICE GUY."</li><li>For now, Trump sees continuing the blockade as his primary source of leverage, but he would consider military action if it Iran still won't cave, according to the sources. He declined to discuss any military plans in Wednesday's phone interview, which lasted around 15 minutes.</li></ul><p><strong>What he's saying:</strong> "The blockade is somewhat more effective than the bombing. They are choking like a stuffed pig. And it is going to be worse for them. They can't have a nuclear weapon," Trump told Axios. </p><ul><li>He claimed that Iran wants to reach a deal in order to lift the blockade. "They want to settle. They don't want me to keep the blockade. I don't want to [lift the blockade], because I don't want them to have a nuclear weapon," Trump added. </li><li>The President added that Iran's oil storage and pipelines "are getting close to exploding" because Iran can't export oil due to the blockade. Some <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/04/28/iran-oil-options-blockade" target="_blank">analysts doubt</a> that Iran is in immediate danger on that front.</li></ul><p><strong>The other side:</strong> A senior Iranian security source quoted by English-language state media PRESS TV <a href="https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2026/04/29/767743/continued-us-maritime-banditry-piracy-to-met-practical-unprecedented-response-source" target="_blank">said on Wednesday</a> the U.S. naval blockade "will soon be met with practical and unprecedented action."</p><ul><li>The source added Iran's armed forces have shown restraint in order to give diplomacy a chance and provide Trump with an opportunity to end the war, but stressed Iran's armed forces "believe that patience has limits and that a punishing response is necessary" if the blockade continues. </li></ul><p><strong>What to watch: </strong>Trump said negotiations with Iran are still ongoing and claimed the Iranians had come a long way.</p><ul><li>"The question is whether or not they are gonna go far enough. At this moment there will never be a deal unless they agree that there will never be nuclear weapons," Trump said. </li></ul><p><strong>The bottom line: </strong>Trump said it was time for Iran to "cry uncle" and say "we give up." </p><ul><li>The Iranians have made it clear they don't share Trump's assessment that they've been defeated.</li></ul><p><em>More from the interview will be <a href="https://www.axios.com/" target="_blank">published</a> soon.</em></p>

<p><a href="https://www.axios.com/world/iran" target="_blank">Iran</a> gave the U.S. a new proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end the war, with nuclear negotiations postponed for a later stage, according to a U.S. official and two sources with knowledge. </p><p><strong>Why it matters:</strong> The diplomacy is in a stalemate, and the Iranian leadership is divided about what nuclear concessions should be on the table. The Iranian proposal would bypass that issue en route to a faster deal.</p><hr /><ul><li>But lifting the blockade and ending the war would remove President Trump's leverage in any future talks to remove Iran's stockpile of <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/04/17/iran-us-deal-20-billion-frozen-funds-uranium" target="_blank">enriched uranium</a> and convince Tehran to suspend enrichment — two primary war objectives for Trump.</li></ul><p><strong>What to watch:</strong> Trump is expected to hold a Situation Room meeting on Iran on Monday with his top national security and foreign policy team, according to three U.S. officials. </p><ul><li>One source said Trump's team would discuss the <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/04/25/trump-iran-pakistan-talks" target="_blank">stalemate in the negotiations</a> and potential next steps.</li><li>Trump signaled in an <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/video/6393932608112" target="_blank">interview</a> with Fox News on Sunday that he wants to continue the naval blockade that is choking off Iran's oil exports, hoping it will get Tehran to cave over the next few weeks.</li><li>"When you have vast amounts of oil pouring through your system ... if for any reason this line is closed because you can't put it into containers or ships ... what happens is that line explodes from within. ... They say they only have about three days before that happens," Trump said.</li></ul><p><strong>Driving the news:</strong> The crisis in the negotiations between the U.S. and Iran deepened over the weekend after a visit by Iranian Foreign Minister <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/04/24/witkoff-kushner-iran-talks-pakistan" target="_blank">Abbas Araghchi</a> to Pakistan ended with no progress. </p><ul><li>The White House had announced Trump's envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would be meeting Araghchi in Islamabad, but the Iranians were noncommittal. Trump <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/04/25/trump-iran-pakistan-talks" target="_blank">told Axios</a> the Iranian position led him to cancel that trip.</li><li>"I see no point of sending them on an 18-hour flight in the current situation. It's too long. We can do it just as well by telephone. The Iranians can call us if they want. We are not gonna travel just to sit there," Trump said. </li><li>On Sunday, Araghchi held talks with Omani officials in Muscat that focused on the Strait of Hormuz, then went back to Islamabad for a second round of talks. </li><li>On Monday, Araghchi was expected to travel to Moscow and meet Russian President <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/07/12/putin-iran-nuclear-deal-uranium-enrichment" target="_blank">Vladimir Putin</a>.</li></ul><p><strong>Behind the scenes:</strong> Araghchi raised the plan to bypass the nuclear issue during his meetings in Islamabad, two sources with knowledge said.</p><ul><li>One source said Araghchi made it clear to the Pakistani, Egyptian, Turkish and Qatari mediators over the weekend that there's no consensus inside the Iranian leadership about how to address the U.S. demands. The U.S. wants Iran to suspend uranium enrichment for at least a decade and remove its enriched uranium from the country. </li></ul><p><strong>The new proposal,</strong> given to the U.S. via the Pakistani mediators, focuses on solving the crisis over the strait and the U.S. blockade first. </p><ul><li>As part of that, the ceasefire would be extended for a long period or the parties would agree on a permanent end to the war. </li><li>According to the proposal, the nuclear negotiations would only start at a later stage, after the strait was open and the blockade lifted. </li><li>The White House has received the proposal, but it's unclear whether the U.S. is willing to explore it. </li></ul><p><strong>What they're saying:</strong> "These are sensitive diplomatic discussions and the U.S. will not negotiate through the press. As the president has said, the United States holds the cards and will only make a deal that puts the American people first, never allowing Iran to have a nuclear weapon," White House spokesperson Olivia Wales told Axios. </p><ul><li>Spokespeople for Pakistan's military and Ministry of Foreign Affairs declined to comment.</li></ul>

Iran said it had offered a new proposal to the U.S. to end the war, as the Strait of Hormuz standoff sends costs soaring around the world.

President Trump took questions before departing the White House for an event in Florida. The remarks come after Iran submitted, through Pakistani mediators, a proposal for a second round of peace talks. CBS News' Olivia Rinaldi reports.

The updated peace deal was delivered to Pakistani officials, who have relayed it to the U.S.