President Donald Trump has warned that the US-Iran ceasefire is now on "massive life support" after negotiations between the two countries appeared to hit a deadlock. In a statement on Monday, Trump described the agreement as "unbelievably weak," adding that it was "the weakest right now after reading a piece of garbage they sent us." He claimed he "didn't even finish reading" Tehran's latest proposal. "Am I going to waste my time reading it? I would say it's one of the weakest right now. It's on life support ... I would say the ceasefire is on massive life support."
Iran Responds to Trump's Outburst
Iran hit back after Trump's earlier comments calling their suggestions "totally unacceptable." Foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said in a news conference on Monday that Tehran's proposals had been "generous" and "legitimate." Iran is "demanding an end to the war, lifting the (US) blockade and piracy, and releasing Iranian assets that have been unjustly frozen in banks due to US pressure," Baghaei stated. Iran also issued a threat to the UK and France, warning that any warships in the Strait of Hormuz "will be met with decisive response."
New US Sanctions Target Iran's Oil Shipments to China
The Trump administration announced sanctions against three people and nine companies, including four based in Hong Kong and four in the United Arab Emirates, for aiding Iran's shipment of oil to China. The ninth company is based in Oman. The US Treasury move follows sanctions announced on Friday on individuals and companies aiding Iranian purchases of weapons and components used to make drones and ballistic missiles. It comes days before Trump's planned meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, where he is expected to press Beijing to help resolve the standoff with Iran and reopen the critical Strait of Hormuz.
The Treasury said the new designations by the Office of Foreign Assets Control targeted individuals and entities that helped Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps sell and ship its allotment of Iranian oil to China using a series of front companies. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the Trump administration would continue using sanctions to deprive the Iranian government and military of funding for weapons, its nuclear program, or support for proxies in the region. "Treasury will continue to cut the Iranian regime off from the financial networks it uses to carry out terrorist acts and to destabilize the global economy," Bessent said.
Iran War Briefing
- President Donald Trump claimed the Iran ceasefire is on "life support" after rejecting Tehran's latest proposal, which officials said included some nuclear concessions.
- Iran sent its response to the latest US proposal to end the Iran war via Pakistani mediators over the weekend, but Trump rejected it in a social media post as "TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE!"
- The US government imposed sanctions against three people and nine companies, including four based in Hong Kong and four in the United Arab Emirates, for aiding Iran's shipment of oil to China.
- Oil prices rose in early Asian trade this morning as negotiations to end the war between the US and Iran appeared fragile.
