US President Donald Trump has rejected Iran’s response to Washington’s latest peace proposal, describing it as “completely unacceptable”, just hours after Tehran sent its reply through mediator Pakistan. Shortly, after the rejection, Kuwait and the UAE — which were previously bombed by Iran during the US-Israel war — reported fresh drone activity in their airspace, while Qatar said one of its commercial ships was targeted by a drone in its territorial waters.
Iran’s military has issued a fresh warning to the US and Israel, stating that if “aggression” resumes, they will face “other surprising options”.
Iran is demanding an immediate end to the naval blockade, cessation of aggression, and lifting of sanctions imposed by the US and international bodies.
At the same time, it wants to retain control over its enriched uranium and maintain an independent foreign policy— issues that Washington has cited as major concerns.
Trump has not yet detailed the specific reasons behind rejecting Iran’s response, but it appears that several key Iranian demands remain unacceptable to the United States.
A major point of friction remains Iran’s uranium enrichment programme and its nuclear ambitions, which are strongly opposed by the US and its regional allies.
Whether Trump’s outright rejection will lead to further escalation or open a new direction in negotiations to end the war remains to be seen.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that the war with Iran is not yet over, stressing that Iran’s enrichment sites must be dismantled and its proxy networks addressed.
“There is work to be done,” he said.
