Trump Calls Iran's Response to US Peace Proposal 'Unacceptable'

U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday rejected Iran's response to a U.S. proposal for peace talks, dashing hopes for an imminent end to the 10-week-old conflict ​that has caused widespread damage in Iran and Lebanon, paralyzed maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz and driven up global energy prices, according to Reuters.

Days after the U.S. floated an offer in the ‌hopes of re-opening negotiations, Iran on Sunday released a response focused on ending the war on all fronts, especially Lebanon, and on the safety of shipping through the blockaded Strait of Hormuz, Iranian state TV said. Within hours of the Iranian proposal's release, Trump dismissed it with a post on social media.

"I don’t like it — TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE," Trump wrote on Truth Social, without giving further detail. Oil prices rose $3 a barrel after the United States and Iran failed to reach agreement.

Iran's proposal includes a demand for compensation for war damages and an ​emphasis on Iranian sovereignty over the strait, state media said. It also calls on the U.S. to end its naval blockade, guarantee no further attacks, lift sanctions and end a U.S. ban on Iranian oil ​sales, the semi-official Tasnim news agency said.

The U.S. had proposed an end to fighting before starting talks on more contentious issues, including Iran's nuclear program.

The Wall Street Journal quoted ⁠unnamed sources saying Iran proposed diluting some of its highly enriched uranium and transferring the remainder to a third country.

Pakistan, which has been mediating talks over the war, forwarded the Iranian response to the U.S., a Pakistani official said.

Despite a ​month-old ceasefire in the conflict and after some 48 hours of relative calm, hostile drones were detected over several Gulf countries on Sunday, underlining the threat still facing the region.

But the QatarEnergy-operated carrier Al Kharaitiyat passed safely through the ​Strait of Hormuz en route to Pakistan's Port Qasim, according to data from shipping analytics firm Kpler. It was the first Qatari vessel carrying liquefied natural gas to cross the strait since the U.S. and Israel started the war on February 28.