Statement from Trump Ceasefire with Iran as weak as never before
According to US President Donald Trump, the ceasefire with Iran, which has been in place for almost five weeks, is now hanging by a thread. The reason for this is the "stupid proposal" from Tehran to end the war, he said in Washington.
12.05.2026, 03:31
12.05.2026, 08:30
SDA
"She's as weak as she's ever been after I read that crap."
Trump said the cease fire was virtually in intensive care, where a doctor would come in and say, "Sir, your loved one has about a one percent chance of survival." Nevertheless, he continued to believe that a diplomatic solution was still possible, he said when asked by a journalist.
Iran demands reparations and an end to sanctions
According to state media, the plan presented by Iran states that the USA must pay reparations for the war damage caused in Iran. The Islamic Republic is also demanding full sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, an end to sanctions against the country and the release of confiscated Iranian assets. According to the reports, the dispute over Iran's nuclear program did not play a role in the response.
On Monday evening (local time), Trump wanted to discuss the next steps with his national security team, as the news portal "Axios" reported, citing US officials. In addition to Vice President JD Vance, special envoy Steve Witkoff, CIA chief John Ratcliffe, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Chief of Staff Dan Caine were also to take part in the meeting.
Iran's parliamentary speaker: "Are prepared for all options."
"Our armed forces are ready to meet any aggression with an instructive response," wrote Iranian parliamentary speaker and chief negotiator Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf on the news platform X. "We are prepared for all options."
Trump accused the leadership in Tehran of not keeping its promises. Iran had initially agreed that the USA would remove the enriched uranium from the country. "But they changed their mind, because it wasn't in the paper," said Trump.
Iran denies Trump's statements
According to a report, Iran rejected Trump's statements. The Iranian news agency Tasnim reported that the negotiating team had not agreed to take the highly enriched uranium out of the country, citing a source familiar with the negotiations.
Reports that Iran had agreed to halt uranium enrichment for 15 years were also lies, Tasnim continued. Such information is "psychological warfare", wrote the agency, which is close to Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guards.
Iran's nuclear program has been controversial for years. The USA, Israel and the West accuse the leadership in Tehran of striving for nuclear weapons. Iran denies this. The West is particularly critical of Iran's stockpile of around 440 kilograms of uranium, which has been enriched to 60 percent and could be used to build several nuclear weapons if processed further.
Diplomatic efforts falter
In the war with Iran, which has been going on for over two months, diplomatic efforts to reach a peace agreement have recently come to a standstill. Trump had already dismissed Iran's proposal as "unacceptable" at the weekend. A second round of direct negotiations in Pakistan has not yet materialized despite several attempts.
"There is no other option but to recognize the rights of the Iranian people as outlined in the 14-point plan," Iran's parliamentary speaker Ghalibaf wrote on X. "Any other approach will be completely unsuccessful. There will be nothing but one failure after another. The longer they delay, the more American taxpayers will have to pay for it."
USA increases pressure on Iran with further sanctions
In view of the deadlocked negotiations, the USA increased the economic pressure on Iran further. The government in Washington imposed sanctions against several individuals and companies, including firms based in Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates, which are alleged to have supported the sale and transportation of Iranian oil to China by the Revolutionary Guards.
The new sanctions were imposed shortly before the planned meeting between President Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Chinese support for Iran is a point of tension in the relationship between Washington and Beijing. Chinese refineries, for example, are the most important buyers of crude oil from Iran. The Iran issue is likely to play an important role during Trump's visit to Xi in Beijing from Wednesday.
