Trump Rejects Iran Ceasefire Counteroffer, Leaving Truce on Life Support

The risk of renewed large-scale fighting between the United States and Iran has risen sharply after President Trump rejected Tehran’s response to a U.S. ceasefire proposal, describing the document as “totally unacceptable” and the month-old truce as “on massive life support.” Oil prices climbed above $103 a barrel on Monday as shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remained restricted and both sides traded accusations of bad faith.

The U.S. proposal, delivered roughly ten days earlier, sought a permanent end to Iran’s nuclear weapons program, removal of its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, and reopening of the strait to commercial traffic. Iran’s counteroffer, transmitted through Pakistani channels on Sunday, demanded an immediate end to the U.S. naval blockade, full sanctions relief, release of frozen assets, compensation for war damage, and formal recognition of Iranian sovereignty over the strait. Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that Iran had verbally agreed to relinquish enriched uranium but omitted the commitment from the written text. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei called Tehran’s demands “reasonable, responsible and generous” and said nothing in them was excessive.

The ceasefire, announced April 8 after six weeks of U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on Iranian targets, has been fragile from the start. Each side has accused the other of violations, including Iranian attacks on the United Arab Emirates and U.S. strikes on Iran-flagged vessels. Trump unilaterally extended the original two-week truce on April 21. He said Monday that Iran “has been defeated militarily” and that his plan remains simple: “Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.” Iranian officials have framed the U.S. terms as a demand for surrender and have warned that further pressure could prompt closure of the strait, through which roughly 20 percent of global oil trade normally passes.

Casualty figures remain disputed. The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reported 3,636 deaths in Iran from strikes, including 254 children; the Pentagon has confirmed 13 U.S. service members killed and 415 wounded. Neither set of numbers has been independently corroborated by multiple governments. Netanyahu told CBS’s “60 Minutes” that the conflict is not over because enriched uranium, enrichment sites, and Iranian-backed proxies remain. Talks are now described by U.S. officials as being on life support, with military options under active review ahead of Trump’s scheduled meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping later this week.