Iran confirmed on Thursday that it was reviewing Washington’s latest position in ongoing negotiations to end the war. US President Donald Trump, meanwhile, signaled his patience was running short, but stopped short of setting a firm deadline.
“We have received US views and are reviewing them,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei told state-run Nour News.
Pakistan continues to mediate between the two capitals, as Islamabad hosted peace talks last month and serves as the primary conduit for messages between Tehran and Washington, with Pakistan’s interior minister visiting Tehran on Wednesday.
Trump warns of swift consequences
Speaking at Joint Base Andrews, Trump struck a firm tone. “Believe me, if we don’t get the right answers, it goes very quickly. We’re all ready to go,” he told reporters. Asked how long he would wait, Trump replied: “It could be a few days, but it could go very quickly.”
Trump also repeated his refusal to allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons. “We’re in the final stages of Iran. We’ll see what happens. Either have a deal or we’re going to do some things that are a little bit nasty, but hopefully that won’t happen,” he said. “Ideally, I’d like to see few people killed, as opposed to a lot.”
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, meanwhile, issued a sharp counter-warning. “If aggression against Iran is repeated, the promised regional war will extend beyond the region this time,” the Guards said.
Hormuz standoff clouds negotiations
Six weeks after a fragile ceasefire took hold, talks have made little progress, though Iran submitted its latest offer to Washington this week. However, Tehran’s terms reportedly repeat demands Trump previously rejected. These include control of the Strait of Hormuz, war reparations, sanctions relief, release of frozen assets and US troop withdrawal.
On Wednesday, Iran released a map marking a “controlled maritime zone” at the strait. Ships would require authorisation to transit, and potentially pay access fees., as Washington has called such terms unacceptable.
Shipping monitor Lloyd’s List counted at least 54 transits last week, roughly double the prior week. Yet that figure still falls far short of the 125 to 140 daily passages before the war.
Soaring oil prices continue to stoke global inflation fears, as Trump also faces growing domestic pressure ahead of November’s midterm elections, with his approval ratings close to their lowest since his return to the White House.
