Trump to Axios: "I don't like" Iran's peace plan response
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President Trump told Axios in a short phone call on Sunday that he would reject Iran's response to the latest draft agreement to end the war.
Why it matters: The U.S. waited 10 days for the Iranian response, which came on Sunday. The White House hoped Iran's positions would show further progress toward a deal, but Trump's initial reaction signals the opposite.
What he's saying: "I don't like their letter. It's inappropriate. I don't like their response," Trump said, declining to go into further details about what was in the response.
- "They have been tapping along many nations for 47 years," he said.
- In a post on Truth Social shortly after the call, Trump called the Iranian response "TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE!"
Driving the news: Iranian state media reported the Iranian response focused on ending the war and enshrining guarantees it won't resume, before anything else.
- Tasnim news agency, which is affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, reported that Iran's text "stresses the necessity of lifting U.S. sanctions, ending the war on all fronts" and ensuring Iranian management of the Strait of Hormuz.
- According to the report, Iran demanded an immediate end to the U.S. naval blockade upon signing.
- The response maintains the proposed format of an initial memorandum of understanding (MOU) followed by 30 days of negotiations, but insists on lifting U.S. sanctions related to Iranian oil sales during that 30-day window, Tasnim reported.
- Iran also demanded the release of frozen assets upon the initial signing of the MOU.
Friction point: Those conditions, if confirmed, are a long way from what the U.S. negotiators were hoping for. Iranian state media also didn't specify any nuclear concessions Iran was prepared to make.
State of play: Trump told Axios he'd spoken with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday and discussed the Iranian response, among other things.
- "It was a very nice call. We have a good relationship," he said of Netanyahu, but he added that the Iran negotiations are "my situation, not everybody else's."
The other side: Iran's state TV reported that Tehran has rejected the U.S. proposal, which it said "meant Iran's surrender to Trump's excessive demands."
- An Iranian source told Tasnim earlier they had seen Trump's reaction to Iran's response and it "has no importance."
- No one in Iran "writes proposals to please Trump," they said. "The negotiating team should draft proposals only for the rights of the Iranian people, and when Trump is dissatisfied with them, naturally that is better."
The latest: Oil prices jumped 3% in early trading following Trump's latest comments, with the global benchmark Brent crude hovering around $104 a barrel just before 8pm ET.
What to watch: Trump didn't make clear in the brief interview whether he intends to continue negotiations, or potentially opt for military action.
- Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) wrote on X that Trump should now consider taking military action — a position Graham has repeatedly taken throughout the monthlong ceasefire.
- "Between their constant attacks on international shipping, the persistent attacks on our Middle Eastern allies and now a totally unacceptable response to America's diplomatic proposal, it is in my view, time to consider changing course."
- "Project Freedom Plus sounds pretty good right about now," Graham wrote, referring to the naval operation to guide ships through the Strait of Hormuz that Trump abruptly suspended after less than 48 hours.
Go deeper: Gas prices won't return to pre-war levels any time soon
Editor's note: This article has been updated with comment from Tehran and details on oil prices.
