Summary

Iran’s senior military officials warned on Saturday that a return to active hostilities with the United States is likely, even as Tehran formally submitted a new peace proposal to mediators, deepening uncertainty over whether the fragile ceasefire in place since April 8 can hold. Mohammad Jafar Asadi, a senior figure in Iran’s military central command, said the United States is not committed to any agreements, dismissing the prospect of a diplomatic breakthrough. Iran’s judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei separately clarified that while Iran is prepared to negotiate, it will not accept terms imposed upon it. The warnings came after Iran submitted a revised 14-point proposal to the United States through Pakistani mediators. The proposal calls for a permanent end to the war on all fronts, the release of frozen Iranian assets, the removal of sanctions and the introduction of a new arrangement governing passage through the Strait of Hormuz. The proposal also pushes for resolution of outstanding issues within 30 days rather than the two-month ceasefire extension the United States reportedly proposed. President Donald Trump told reporters on Saturday that he had been briefed on the general concept of Iran’s proposal but was awaiting the exact wording before making a judgment. He said he could not imagine it would be acceptable in its current form and presented the choice between a diplomatic resolution and a full military conclusion starkly, saying he would prefer to resolve the matter on a human basis but that the alternative was available. Trump attributed the stalled talks in part to what he described as significant internal divisions within Iran’s leadership. The conflict, which began on 28 February 2026 when the United States and Israel launched strikes targeting Iran’s military and nuclear infrastructure and killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, has now entered its third month. A conditional ceasefire has been in effect since 8 April, but neither side has removed its maritime blockade. Iran has kept the Strait of Hormuz, the waterway through which approximately 20 percent of the world’s seaborne oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) normally transits, largely closed to shipping since the conflict began. Shipping traffic through the strait has fallen by more than 90 percent from pre-war levels, according to the United Kingdom Royal Navy, which warned of a looming humanitarian crisis for tens of thousands of seafarers stranded in the waterway. The United States has maintained a counter-blockade on ships seeking to access Iranian ports since 13 April. Global oil prices remain approximately 50 percent above pre-war levels. Iran’s parliament is also moving to pass legislation that would formalise restrictions on which vessels are permitted to transit the strait, requiring ships from countries it classifies as hostile to pay war reparations before being granted permission to pass. Israeli vessels would be permanently barred. Iran’s deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi said the ball is now in the United States’ court to choose between diplomacy or continued confrontation.