Ceasefire near collapse amid ‘stupid’ Iran proposal, Trump says, raising specter of new fighting
by Vaughn Cockayne, Tom Howell Jr. · The Washington TimesThe ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran hung by a thread Monday after President Trump panned Tehran’s latest proposal as a “piece of garbage” and met with military leaders to plot his next move.
Mr. Trump was typically blunt in his assessment of the truce, which, despite skirmishes in the Strait of Hormuz, has held since April to allow diplomatic talks.
“I would say the ceasefire is on massive life support,” Mr. Trump said in the Oval Office.
He said he planned to meet with a “large group of generals” concerning “the absolutely lovely country of Iran.”
Mr. Trump’s scathing review of Iran’s weekend peace offer raised the specter of renewed fighting in the war, which began with joint strikes by the U.S. and Israel on Feb. 28.
He said there is still the opportunity for diplomacy but complained that Iran’s leadership constantly changes its mind.
SEE ALSO: Trump pushes for suspension of federal gas tax during war with Iran
“They’re very dishonorable people, the leadership,” Mr. Trump said.
The president was not explicit about the next step for the U.S. forces massed in the region, though he repeated his central demand.
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“The plan is they cannot have a nuclear weapon,” Mr. Trump said.
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, speaker of Iran’s Islamic Consultative Assembly, was defiant on social media after Mr. Trump’s remarks in the Oval Office.
“Our armed forces are ready to deliver a well-deserved response to any aggression; mistaken strategy and mistaken decisions will always lead to mistaken results — the whole world has already figured this out,” he said. “We are prepared for all options; they will be surprised.”
U.S. and Iranian leaders engaged in a war of words after weeks of diplomatic efforts to end the conflict.
The U.S. had reportedly sought a 30-day ceasefire during which the two sides could find a comprehensive solution to the conflict.
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Washington’s offer was delivered after an intense flare-up in fighting in the Strait of Hormuz early last week, as the U.S. attempted to guide commercial ships through the waterway.
U.S. negotiators have remained mostly consistent in their demands across nearly a year of negotiations with Iran: Tehran cannot obtain a nuclear weapon, it must eliminate its uranium enrichment program and cut its support for regional proxy terrorist groups.
Tehran’s reply reportedly included demands to end all attacks on Iran, lift the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports and unfreeze many of Iran’s assets that have been restricted by sanctions.
Iran said Monday it was being “reasonable and generous.”
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“The Islamic republic has proven that it is a responsible power in the region. We are not bullies; we stand against bullies,” said Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei.
Mr. Baghaei said the Trump administration’s conditions have been consistently unreasonable and implied that, despite the forceful U.S. demands on the nuclear front, Iran’s enrichment program is still up for discussion.
“We will discuss that when the time comes,” he said.
Mr. Trump is squeezing Iran economically with a blockade of its ports while negotiations drag out.
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Iran, meanwhile, is causing economic upheaval by clamping down on maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital choke point for oil exports from the Middle East.
The price of Brent crude oil, an international benchmark, increased roughly 3% to $104 per barrel.
The national average price of a gallon of gas stood at $4.52 on Monday, according to the AAA motor club.
Prices have inched down a bit in recent days but remain 52% higher than when the war started.
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Mr. Trump said Monday he would like to suspend the federal gas tax to alleviate costs during the war with Iran.
The federal gas tax is 18.4 cents per gallon of gasoline and 24.4 cents per gallon of diesel.
Suspending the tax requires congressional action. Some lawmakers said they are ready to act on Mr. Trump’s wishes.
“I’m introducing legislation today to suspend the gas tax,” Sen. Josh Hawley, Missouri Republican, said Monday on the social platform X.
Some Democrats also have shown interest in pausing or lowering the federal gas tax amid the approaching midterm elections, in which affordability is a central issue.
Mr. Trump did not set a duration for a tax suspension. He said he would do it “’til it’s appropriate.”
Other countries are more directly affected by restrictions on Iranian oil.
China is by far the biggest purchaser of Iranian oil, so the Middle East conflict will loom over Mr. Trump’s summit in Beijing this week with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The Treasury Department said Monday it is sanctioning 12 persons or entities for their roles in helping Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps sell and ship oil to China.
The Treasury said these sales to China facilitate a system in which the IRGC uses “front companies” to raise money for the regime in Tehran.
The Trump administration wants Beijing to pressure Iran into accepting a deal with favorable terms for the U.S., so it is dialing up pressure on Chinese banks and refineries buying Iranian oil, “as well as Chinese companies providing military and intelligence support to Tehran,” said Grant Rumley, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
“These are relatively low-cost efforts for Beijing to maintain, but they nevertheless give Xi a source of leverage in the negotiations with Trump,” Mr. Rumley said. “In return, Xi may ask Trump to make reciprocal concessions in the Middle East, or in other areas more important to Beijing.”
• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.