President Donald Trump has reacted with displeasure to an Iranian proposal intended to ease tensions with Washington after it failed to include Iran's nuclear program, a U.S. official said on Monday, according to Reuters.
“He doesn't love the proposal,” the official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity while discussing the president's private deliberations. Trump reviewed the Iranian plan earlier in the day with his top national security advisers, the official said. The conflict between Washington and Tehran remains deadlocked, with energy supplies from the Gulf region reduced amid ongoing tensions over shipping and regional security.
Despite the impasse, efforts to bridge differences between the two sides have not completely stalled, according to sources familiar with mediation efforts led by Pakistan. Those sources said contacts have continued quietly, though progress remains limited.
Iranian sources said earlier on Monday that the proposal would defer discussion of Iran's nuclear activities until after the current conflict has ended and disputes over shipping lanes in the Gulf have been resolved. Washington has long insisted that any talks with Iran must address nuclear issues from the outset, viewing them as key to regional stability.
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Hopes of reviving a broader peace initiative, however, have dimmed since Trump said over the weekend that he had canceled a planned visit to Islamabad by his special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner. Trump did not provide a detailed explanation for the decision, but it was seen in diplomatic circles as a setback to mediation efforts.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio also spoke on the administration's distinction between Iran's leadership and its population during an interview on Fox News on Monday.
"Our desire is not to hurt the people of Iran," Rubio said. "Frankly, we wish the voices of the people of Iran were heard as opposed to having 40,000 of them murdered in the streets, inside of hospitals, and executed on a routine basis. They are victims of that regime."
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