U.S. President Donald Trump is unhappy with the latest Iranian proposal on resolving the two-month war, a U.S. official said, dampening hopes for a resolution to the conflict that has disrupted energy supplies, fuelled inflation, and killed thousands, Reuters reports.
Iran's latest proposal would set aside discussion of Iran's nuclear program until the war is ended and disputes over shipping from the Gulf are resolved.
That is unlikely to satisfy the U.S., which says nuclear issues must be dealt with from the outset, and Trump was unhappy with Iran's proposal for that reason, a U.S. official briefed on the president's Monday meeting with his advisers said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales said the U.S. "will not negotiate through the press" and has "been clear about our red lines" as the Trump administration looks to end the war against Iran, it began in February alongside Israel.
A previous agreement in 2015 between Iran and multiple other countries including the U.S. sharply curtailed Iran's nuclear program, which it has long maintained is for peaceful, civilian purposes. But that deal fell apart when Trump unilaterally withdrew from it in his first term in office.
Hopes of reviving peace efforts have receded since the U.S. president scrapped a visit planned for last weekend by his special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner to Islamabad, the Pakistani capital, where Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi shuttled in and out twice during the weekend.
Aragchi also visited Oman and on Monday went to Russia, where he met President Vladimir Putin and received words of support from a longstanding ally.
