U.S. President Donald Trump has cast fresh doubt over the fragile ceasefire between Washington and Tehran, warning that the agreement remains dangerously close to collapse after the United States rejected Iran’s latest proposal to end the conflict.
Speaking at the White House on Monday, Trump said the truce was still technically holding but described it as being on “massive life support” amid growing tensions over Iran’s demands surrounding sanctions, military action, and its nuclear programme.
“I would say the ceasefire is on massive life support… when the doctor walks in and says, ‘Sir, your loved one has approximately a 1 percent chance of living’,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
The ceasefire was brokered last month following weeks of Israeli and U.S. air strikes on Iranian military and nuclear targets. While direct fighting has largely eased, negotiations aimed at securing a broader settlement have become increasingly strained.
According to Iranian media reports, Tehran recently submitted a counter-proposal to Washington that called for an immediate end to military operations across the region, including attacks linked to Iran-backed Hezbollah forces in Lebanon.
The proposal also reportedly demanded compensation for war damage, the lifting of sanctions, an end to the U.S. naval blockade on Iranian ports, and guarantees that Iran would not face further attacks.
Iran also reiterated its position over the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic shipping route through which around one fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas supplies pass. Continued disruption in the area has contributed to rising concerns in global energy markets.
Trump sharply criticised the proposal and accused Iranian officials of repeatedly changing their stance during negotiations.
“That piece of garbage they sent us – I didn’t even finish reading it,” he said.
The U.S. president also claimed Iran had gone back on a previous understanding involving the removal of enriched uranium from the country, while insisting Tehran would “never have a nuclear weapon.”
Iranian officials quickly rejected that accusation. A source quoted by Tasnim News Agency said there was “no such thing in Iran’s proposal as accepting taking out enriched nuclear material.”
Meanwhile, Iranian parliamentary speaker Mohammad Ghalibaf warned that Iran’s armed forces were prepared to respond to any further aggression, while foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei defended Tehran’s proposal as “responsible” and “generous.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also signalled that Israel was unlikely to support a lasting agreement unless Iran’s remaining nuclear infrastructure was dismantled.
“There’s still enrichment sites that have to be dismantled,” Netanyahu said during an interview on 60 Minutes.