Iran rejects Trump's peace plan: "Don't call your defeat a deal"

WashingtonIran, which until now had denied any diplomatic contact with the White House, has rejected Donald Trump's peace plan to end the war. State media reported that Tehran considers the US demands excessive. The regime, which has been waging a campaign of attrition from the outset, said that the conflict will only end when the ayatollahs decide and under their conditions. The Iranian military was defiant and, in a statement, told Trump not to call "what is his defeat" an agreement.

The rejection of the proposal to end hostilities comes as bombing of the Persian capital continues. While Iranian officials were still weighing the offer, Israel launched another wave of missiles at the Iranian capital. In fact, although it was Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu who initiated the offensive almost four weeks ago, the initiative to halt hostilities has been formulated solely by Washington. This Wednesday, the Israeli prime minister insisted that the war "is in full swing." Since the Israeli attack on the South Pars gas field, the disagreements between the two partners on how to proceed with the conflict have become increasingly visible.

Publicly, the White House has responded to the refusal with more threats. "President Trump does not back down and is prepared to unleash hell. Iran should not miscalculate again [...]. Any violence from now on will be a consequence of the Iranian regime's refusal to understand that it has already been defeated and its rejection of reaching an agreement," the press secretary said. While the ayatollahs continue to deny any kind of negotiation, the US government spokesperson insisted that "talks are ongoing." She added: "The remaining elements of the Iranian regime have another opportunity to cooperate with President Trump."

The aggression displayed publicly contrasts sharply with the behind-the-scenes maneuvering. After the Iranians demanded an end to targeted killings as a prerequisite for any negotiations, the US and Israel removed two senior members of the regime from their blacklists. According to US sources, Wall Street JournalIranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi have been removed from the target list for four or five days as a gesture to try to initiate high-level talks to end the conflict. Washington offered to lift numerous sanctions against the Iranian regime—which have been crippling the country's economy—in exchange for a series of conditions. The 15-point roadmap included Iran eliminating all its enriched uranium and abandoning any uranium enrichment process, limiting its ballistic missile program, reopening the Strait of Hormuz, and ending support for regional militias, including Hezbollah. Iran considered these demands excessive and warned that it would continue defensive operations until its requirements were met.

This response reflects a firm stance from Iran, suggesting it is in no hurry to negotiate on the current terms and maintains control over the pace of the conflict. Tehran's entrenchment with its demands once again highlights the asymmetry of the playing field: for the ayatollahs, not losing is already a victory. In contrast, for Trump, anything short of an explicit victory can already be interpreted as a defeat. Consequently, the diplomatic process remains stalled, with uncertain prospects for a possible resolution in the short term.

Trump's Ultimatum

The first diplomatic attempt to halt the war comes as the extension of the ultimatum the US president issued to the Iranians is about to expire. Over the weekend, Trump threatened to attack Iran's power plants if it did not immediately reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Initially, the president gave Iran 48 hours to unblock the strait, but in a further twist, he extended the deadline to this Friday. This extension also provided more breathing room for the nascent diplomatic contacts between Washington and the Iranians, facilitated by Pakistan and Turkey, which have acted as mediators. This reinforces the regime's narrative, which insists there have been no direct negotiations with the Americans.

Iran has been denying Trump's claims about the existence of any negotiations. In fact, just hours after this new offer became public, the ayatollahs launched a new wave of attacks against Israel, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan. On Tuesday morning, before the new diplomatic move was announced, Trump reiterated that contacts with Iran were ongoing and that the Iranians wanted to reach "a deal." The tycoon, in fact, asserted that a "regime change" had taken place in the country. "We've really had a regime change. This is a regime change because the leaders are all different. I think we can say that this is a regime change," he said from the Oval Office.

The peace proposal also comes as it is about to be fulfilled the fourth week of the war, by which time the conflict should already be resolved, according to Trump. When launching the military campaign, the president predicted the operations would last about "four or five weeks." Last night, when the plan was revealed, Israeli officials expressed some misgivings about their own ally. Israeli government sources explained to Axios that Netanyahu is concerned that Trump might reach an agreement with the Iranians that does not include significant concessions and that limits Tel Aviv's ability to continue attacking the Iranians.

More US troops

But while Trump is supposedly betting on the diplomatic route, he is also sending more troops to the region. The Pentagon has mobilized an elite paratrooper unit, the 82nd Airborne Division, whose soldiers are prepared to deploy with only eighteen hours' notice. The unit specializes in tasks as diverse as taking control of critical infrastructure or carrying out emergency evacuations.

In recent hours, rumors have circulated that this elite unit may to be used to take control of the island of Khargcritical for Iran's oil industry. The speaker of Iran's parliament said Wednesday that intelligence suggests "enemies" are planning to occupy an Iranian island with the support of a regional country.

The US president said last Thursday that he would not send troops to the ground, but the trickle of more personnel to the Middle East has not stopped. It is still unknown when the 82nd Division will arrive, but some 2,000 are already expected to be deployed to the area.marine along with the amphibious assault shipUSS TripolioThe amphibious landing shipUSS New OrleansIt has also set course for the area. Likewise, the Pentagon has ordered the mobilization of another unit ofmarine: the 11th expeditionary unit, which is on board the amphibious group led by the shipUSS BoxerHowever, the group will not be released for a few weeks.