U.S. President Donald Trump has intensified pressure on Iran to reach a settlement, warning that Tehran is running out of time as negotiations aimed at ending the conflict appear to have slowed.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the “clock is ticking” for Iran and urged its leaders to move quickly. “They better get moving, FAST, or there won’t be anything left of them,” he wrote. “TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!”
His warning came before an expected call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as Washington continued to assess the future of a fragile ceasefire that has largely held since early April, despite occasional exchanges of fire and continued regional tensions.
Iranian state-linked media said the latest U.S. response had failed to address Tehran’s main demands. The semi-official Mehr news agency reported that Washington had not offered firm concessions and warned that the talks could move towards an “impasse in the negotiations” if the U.S. refused to shift its position.
Trump’s latest remarks follow a series of stark warnings over the state of the truce. He previously said a “whole civilisation” could be destroyed if Iran did not agree to a deal, and earlier this week described the ceasefire as being on “massive life support” after rejecting Tehran’s conditions as “totally unacceptable.”
Iran has defended its proposal as a serious framework for ending the fighting. Esmail Baghaei, a spokesperson for the Iranian foreign ministry, said the terms put forward by Tehran were “responsible and generous.”
According to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency, the proposal included an immediate halt to fighting on all fronts, including Israeli attacks on Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon. It also reportedly called for the lifting of the U.S. naval blockade on Iranian ports, guarantees against further attacks on Iran, compensation for damage caused by the war, and recognition of Iranian sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz.
The waterway remains one of the most sensitive flashpoints in the crisis. Iran’s continued control of the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments, has added pressure to energy markets and pushed prices higher.
Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency said Washington had responded with five conditions, including a demand that Iran keep only one nuclear site active and transfer its stockpile of highly enriched uranium to the U.S.
Trump appeared to signal a possible shift on Friday by suggesting he could accept a 20-year suspension of Iran’s nuclear programme, rather than its complete dismantling. Pakistan has continued to mediate, but both sides remain far from agreement.