US President Donald Trump has dismissed Iran’s latest proposal as “a piece of garbage” and warned that the ceasefire between Washington and Tehran was now on “massive life support”.
The remarks sharpened the already fragile standoff, with Iran maintaining that its nuclear programme and uranium enrichment were not up for negotiation and that any talks with the United States must focus first on ending the war, reopening the Strait of Hormuz and easing maritime tensions.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office during a White House event on maternal healthcare and fertility access, Trump said Tehran’s response in the negotiations was “just unacceptable”.
“After reading that piece of garbage they sent us, I didn’t even finish reading it. They are on life support. The ceasefire is on massive life support,” Trump said.
He also called the proposal “stupid” and repeated that Washington’s position remained unchanged.
“I have a very simple plan: Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said. “We are doing a service to the world.”
Trump claims Iran militarily weakened
Trump claimed Iran had been badly weakened by recent US military action and said whatever Tehran may have rebuilt during the ceasefire could be destroyed quickly.
He said, “The military, look, their Navy is dead. They have no Air Force. They have no anti-aircraft.”
The US President also said Iran had earlier agreed to let Washington remove what he called “nuclear dust” from damaged enrichment facilities, but later backed away because Tehran “didn’t want to put it on paper”.
“They told me they intended to give us the nuclear dust,” Trump said. “They told me you have to take it out, because we can’t do so.”
He added that only the US and China had the ability to remove it from the damaged site.
Iran says focus should be on ending war
Iran, however, rejected the US framing. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran was, for now, focused on ending the war and putting principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity into writing.
“For the time being, we were going to focus on ending the war,” Baghaei told India Today.
He said Iran’s armed forces were prepared for every scenario and warned against any ground action.
“I can assure you that our armed forces are prepared for every scenario. I’m sure that anyone who dares to put their foot on Iranian territory would badly regret it,” he said.
Baghaei also accused the US of repeatedly damaging diplomacy, saying Washington had “destroyed” negotiations despite years of engagement over Iran’s nuclear programme.
Strait of Hormuz row adds India angle
Baghaei also defended Iran’s decision to close the Strait of Hormuz, while expressing regret over the impact on India and other countries. He said Iran had been “forced” to act after attacks by the US and Israel.
“We are not happy about what is happening in India and other countries, but this was caused by the United States and Israel,” Baghaei said.
He added that Iran valued its ties with India and that Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi planned to attend the BRICS Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Delhi, scheduled for May 14 and 15.
White House event shifts from fertility to foreign policy
Trump made the comments after announcing new measures linked to fertility care, maternal health and childcare. He said the Department of Labour would create a fertility benefit option for employers outside regular health insurance plans.
The administration also launched Moms.gov, described as a platform for information on fertility care, pregnancy resources and childcare support.