Trump Reviews Iran's 14-Point Peace Offer as War Hits Day 65

President Donald Trump knew from the outset that launching a war against Iran would destroy his presidency yet felt he had no choice but to proceed, according to his former ally Tucker Carlson, as a fragile ceasefire enters its second month amid a new Iranian peace proposal and growing evidence of the conflict's devastating human and economic toll.

In a wide-ranging interview with The New York Times published Saturday, Carlson described multiple private conversations in which Trump acknowledged the war's potential consequences, including its likely political fallout. "He knew that the potential consequences were profoundly bad; the end of his presidency to start, which I think has proven to be," Carlson said. The former Fox News host, who has publicly broken with Trump over the decision, characterized the president as "more a hostage than a sovereign decision maker," suggesting heavy influence from the Israeli government under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Trump, Carlson recalled, repeatedly insisted "everything's gonna be okay" despite his misgivings.

Those misgivings appear to have been well-founded. The conflict, which began with a surprise U.S.-Israeli aerial assault on February 28, has dragged the United States into its most significant Middle East military engagement in years. Trump now faces record-low approval ratings as the war's unpopularity grows at home. A ceasefire brokered by Pakistan took effect on April 8, but it has failed to produce a lasting peace. On day 65 of the conflict, Iran submitted a 14-point proposal to the United States through Pakistani mediators, calling for guarantees of non-aggression, the withdrawal of U.S. forces from the region, lifting of a naval blockade, release of frozen assets, sanctions relief, and an end to hostilities "on all fronts," including Lebanon.

Trump responded Saturday by saying he is reviewing the document but cast doubt on any deal, telling reporters that Iran "has not yet paid a big enough price" for its past actions. He has repeatedly described Tehran's nuclear program as a "red line" and has not ruled out renewed strikes. "If they misbehave, if they do something bad, there is a possibility it could happen," he said. Israeli officials, meanwhile, have signaled preparations for possible additional U.S. action, with one senior officer telling reporters that any agreement failing to end Iran's uranium enrichment and surrender its stockpiles of highly enriched uranium would be unacceptable.

The human cost of the war has been staggering, particularly for Iranian civilians who had no say in the decisions made in Washington and Tel Aviv. Interviews with survivors conducted by Reason magazine and Drop Site News paint a harrowing picture of life under bombardment. In the coastal towns of Minab and Lamerd, U.S.-Israeli missiles struck an elementary school and a high school gymnasium during a volleyball practice. Mir Dehdasht rushed to the scene after the gym attack only to find injured girls bleeding on the ground, some unconscious, others screaming. His own daughter, Robab, was among the dead.

Amena in Iran awoke to air raid sirens. Hossein in Isfahan heard fighter jets destroy a local radio station. Jad learned of the strikes on the news just hours before bombs fell on his neighborhood. Across the region, the soundtrack of daily life became sirens and explosions. Electricity failed. Movement outside became dangerous. Death arrived without warning. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps remains on standby, warning that a return to full-scale fighting is likely if diplomacy collapses.

Economically, the war has strained Iran to the breaking point. Prices have surged and jobs have vanished as the country copes with a U.S. naval blockade of its ports even after the nominal ceasefire. Iran's effective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of global oil and gas passes, sent shockwaves through the world economy before the truce. Continued naval clashes, including ship seizures and intercepts, show that the war has not truly ended at sea.

Iran's latest proposal seeks to postpone nuclear negotiations to a later date, a position Trump has rejected. Tehran wants all issues resolved within 30 days and a permanent end to the conflict rather than a temporary truce. Pakistani mediation efforts in Islamabad have so far failed, with each side setting preconditions the other refuses to meet.

Carlson's account adds a remarkable layer to an already chaotic chapter in American foreign policy. A president who campaigned on avoiding endless wars in the Middle East found himself, by his own former confidant's description, unable to resist pressure to start one. The result has been a conflict that has killed civilians, destabilized global energy markets, and left Trump politically weakened exactly as he reportedly feared.

Whether the 14-point plan can bridge the gap remains uncertain. Trump continues to demand that Iran make further concessions while Israel pushes for total capitulation on the nuclear issue. For ordinary Iranians living with the trauma of bombed schools and sleepless nights, the abstract arguments in Washington and Tel Aviv feel painfully distant from the concrete reality of lost children and ruined lives. As diplomats exchange proposals and threats, the question lingers whether anyone in power truly grasps the price already paid by those who had nothing to do with starting this war.