Trump’s rejection came as the uneasy ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran appeared to be holding, though both sides have traded accusations of violations. Trump told reporters that “They want to make a deal, I’m not satisfied with it, so we’ll see what happens,” without specifying what he saw as the proposal’s shortcomings.
Iran’s latest initiative was reported Thursday night through Iran’s state-run IRNA, which said Iran delivered its plan to mediators in Pakistan. On Friday, Trump rejected that proposal shortly after it reached mediators, while continuing to describe the diplomatic channel as active even without an on-the-ground envoy mission.
Trump said negotiations had continued by phone after he called off his envoys’ trip to Pakistan last week, and he added that he briefed Adm. Brad Cooper, the head of U.S. Central Command, on Thursday. Trump said the U.S. has “just two options in Iran,” laying out the choices as whether to use force or pursue negotiations, telling reporters, “I mean, do we want to go and just blast the hell out of them and finish them forever? Or do we want to try and make a deal? I mean, those are the options.”
Even as the ceasefire largely halted fighting in Iran, the U.S. and Iran remained at odds over the Strait of Hormuz, a passage that carries roughly a fifth of the world’s traded oil and gas in peacetime. The AP reported that the U.S. Navy has continued a blockade aimed at preventing Iran’s tankers from getting out to sea, leaving Iran’s economy under strain and tightening pressure on global markets.
Iran’s diplomacy also expanded on Friday through regional consultations. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held a “flurry of calls” that included contacts with counterparts from Turkey, Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Azerbaijan, and European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas also spoke over the phone with Araghchi. Kallas’ office said in a statement that the two discussed efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and long-term security arrangements, and that Kallas remained in contact with the EU’s Gulf partners.
In Washington, Pakistan’s former ambassador to the United States, Masood Khan, said the continued exchange of proposals signaled that the U.S. and Iran remain engaged in seeking a diplomatic midpoint. Khan also said the proposals followed exchanges in which leaders of the two countries issued some of their harshest threats, fueling concern that military hostilities could resume.
Alongside diplomacy and ceasefire-level tension, the report also described developments inside Iran affecting civilians and political figures. Iran transferred imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi to a hospital in northwestern Iran after what her foundation called a “catastrophic deterioration” of her health, including two episodes of complete loss of consciousness and a severe cardiac crisis, according to the foundation.
The Narges Mohammadi Foundation said the transfer came after “140 days of systematic medical neglect” since her arrest. Mohammadi, 53, a rights lawyer who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2023 while in prison, was arrested in December and sentenced to seven more years in prison, according to the AP report.
The AP also reported that an explosion of leftover bombs from strikes during the war against Iran killed 14 Revolutionary Guard members, citing IRNA and other Iranian media. A report by the Nournews website, described by the AP as close to Iran’s security, said the explosion happened near Zanjan, northwest of Tehran, and said the ammunition included cluster bombs and air mines dropped during the fighting.
The Associated Press said the incident was the largest number of Revolutionary Guard members reported killed since the ceasefire began on April 7. The report added that since the war began on Feb. 28, at least 3,375 people have been killed in Iran, and more than 2,600 people in Lebanon, where new fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah broke out two days after the war started, according to authorities. It also said 24 people have died in Israel and more than 20 in Gulf Arab states, and that 17 Israeli soldiers in Lebanon and 13 U.S. service members across the region have been killed.