Trump Hints To Brace for More Fighting as Iran Offers Proposal That Gives No Quarter on Nuclear Program

President Trump is holding his cards close to the vest as he says new military attacks on Iran may be coming, remarks that a defiant Iran is calling a phony effort to disguise America’s crumbling military, As government offices and institutions at Tehran were placed on high alert over the weekend, Mr. Trump on Sunday said he would not comment on what U.S. forces may do next, but that Iran’s latest 14-point proposal is unacceptable.“I’ve studied it, I’ve studied everything – it’s not acceptable,” Mr. Trump told Israel’s Kan News.Late Saturday, the president announced on Truth Social that he “can’t imagine” that the latest proposal would be acceptable “in that they have not yet paid a big enough price for what they have done to Humanity and the World, over the last 47 years” of revolutionary rule.In the proposal sent to Pakistani mediators on Saturday, Iran called for an end to the war in 30 days with sanctions lifted, an end to the American naval blockade of Iranian ports, withdrawal of forces from the region, and an end to Israeli operations in Lebanon, say reports from Iranian state media. The proposal does not include discussion of Iran’s nuclear program in the first stage, but suggested it be addressed after the other elements are agreed to, a proposal the Trump administration has previously rejected since ending Iran’s efforts to enrich uranium was the purpose behind the initial military attacks. According to Kan News, the rejected proposal also called for a second stage discussion on Iran’s nuclear program, which would involve ceasing uranium enrichment for 15 years and distributing existing stockpile to other countries to dilute it to civilian enrichment levels, but would keep its civilian energy program.An Iranian official, Ali Akbar Velayati, who is the advisor to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, said the president’s intransigence belies the situation on the ground.“Trump’s nonsense and provocative behavior cannot obscure the existing geopolitical reality. The withdrawal of American forces from Germany, the weakening of NATO, and the recurring technical malfunctions in U.S. Navy vessels are signs of the disintegration of the White House’s illusion,” he said. The U.S.S. Gerald R. Ford was pulled from duty last week with a laundry list of repairs after its 300-plus day mission, one of the longest ever for a U.S. carrier.Mr. Trump saying that “scores must be settled” is a new objective for the conflict, said a professor at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, Vali Nasr. The president’s statement about making Iran pay for its past could invite future chaos elsewhere. It “implies its beginning or end had nothing to do with the nuclear issue. It also makes the case for every country, especially in the global south abused by colonialism, to reopen the file on their old grievances, and line up to wage wars to settle old scores. It seems most of humanity opposes this war Trump wants to wage on their behalf and may be more interested in talking about other abuses of humanity,” he posted on X.Representative Jason Crow, a Democrat from Colorado, said that the president’s decision-making is based on emotion and not strategic necessities. “Let’s actually talk strategy, what it is we’re trying to accomplish here, instead of having a constant discussion around blockades,” Mr. Crow told Face the Nation, adding that he would not vote to fund the Department of Defense without any clear explanation of U.S. goals in the Middle East.Even with estimates that Iran’s oil sector is on the verge of collapse due to a U.S.-imposed blockade of the Strait of Hormuz that is driving up global gas prices, the deputy parliament speaker, Ali Nikzad, said the strait will remain in Iranian hands after the cessation of hostilities.“It will not return to its prewar conditions,” said Mr. Nikzad, who spoke at port facilities on the strategic island of Larak, near the narrowest part of the strait, according to the Associated Press. “The Strait of Hormuz belongs to the Islamic Republic of Iran,” he said, adding that Israeli and U.S. ships will be prohibited from using the strait while ships under other flags can pay a toll to ensure safe passage. The Islamic Republic has claimed that it has suffered about $6 billion in damages to scientific research centers and another $300 million to university infrastructure, according to the minister of science, Hossein Afshin. Mr. Afshin has previously said that he is collecting evidence of American war violations to present to international courts.Despite claims of the shifting high ground, Iranian news site Rouydad24, said Tehran’s municipal offices and Iran’s state broadcaster were put on alert of a possible evacuation and emergency declaration if military operations resume. Meanwhile, with news on the ground limited, Iranians face the potential punishment of prison or worse if they are caught violating a ban on the use of VPN or satellite internet like Starlink. The country’s food and drug administration has also warned of rising prices on medications while a deputy minister of the judiciary warned that individuals will be punished for hoarding supplies or manipulating the market.

Trump Hints To Brace for More Fighting as Iran Offers Proposal That Gives No Quarter on Nuclear Program

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