President Donald Trump on Sunday rejected Iran’s latest response to the American offer to end the conflict as “TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE,” warning Tehran it would “be laughing no longer” after reports indicated the regime refused key U.S. nuclear demands while pushing for sanctions relief, frozen assets, an end to the naval blockade, and control over the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran submitted its response Sunday through Pakistani mediators following nearly 10 days of deliberations over the latest American proposal, which reportedly centered on ending hostilities, restoring maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, and opening a roughly 30-day negotiation window over Tehran’s nuclear program, uranium enrichment activities, and stockpile of highly enriched uranium — issues Trump has repeatedly insisted must end with Iran permanently barred from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
“I have just read the response from Iran’s so-called ‘Representatives,’” Trump wrote Sunday afternoon on Truth Social. “I don’t like it — TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE!”
In an earlier Truth Social post Sunday, Trump sharply escalated his rhetoric toward Tehran, accusing the regime of spending decades manipulating the United States, exploiting past American concessions to expand its regional power, bankroll terror proxy networks, and threaten U.S. allies throughout the Middle East.
“Iran has been playing games with the United States, and the rest of the World, for 47 years (DELAY, DELAY, DELAY!),” Trump wrote.
Trump went on to blast former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden over policies he argued financially and strategically empowered Tehran, accusing Obama of “jettisoning Israel, and all other Allies,” while giving Iran “a major and very powerful new lease on life.”
Trump further pointed to the Obama administration’s transfer of $1.7 billion in cash to Tehran alongside broader sanctions relief, writing that Iranian officials “finally found the greatest SUCKER of them all, in the form of a weak and stupid American President.”
“For 47 years the Iranians have been ‘tapping’ us along, keeping us waiting, killing our people with their roadside bombs, destroying protests, and recently wiping out 42,000 innocent, unarmed protestors,” Trump warned. “They will be laughing no longer!”
Speaking in a brief phone interview with Axios following Tehran’s response, Trump signaled clear dissatisfaction with the proposal and suggested the administration viewed Iran’s latest position as insufficient.
“I don’t like their letter. It’s inappropriate. I don’t like their response,” Trump told the outlet.
While Iranian state media portrayed Tehran’s response as “positive and realistic,” multiple reports indicated the regime refused to satisfy several core American demands tied to dismantling or significantly rolling back its nuclear infrastructure.
According to a Wall Street Journal report and other outlets, Iran rejected dismantling its nuclear facilities, refused to relinquish long-term control over its enrichment capabilities, and instead proposed a shorter enrichment moratorium than the roughly 20-year suspension reportedly sought by Washington.
The reports further indicated Tehran proposed diluting part of its highly enriched uranium stockpile while transferring the remainder to a third country under conditions that would require the material to be returned if negotiations collapsed or if the United States later withdrew from the agreement.
Iranian regime-linked media outlets aggressively pushed back on portions of the Western reporting while simultaneously confirming that Tehran’s proposal focused heavily on ending hostilities, lifting sanctions, ending the American naval blockade, releasing frozen Iranian assets, and preserving Iranian control over the Strait of Hormuz.
Hezbollah-affiliated outlet Al Mayadeen additionally reported that Tehran insisted any agreement include an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon and a complete halt to what Iranian officials described as the “siege” imposed on Iran.
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz reiterated Sunday that the White House had established a firm red line in negotiations.
“President Trump has been clear they will never have a nuclear weapon and they cannot hold the world’s economies hostage,” Waltz said during an appearance on Fox News Sunday.
The increasingly aggressive posture from Tehran came as tensions again escalated across the Gulf region Sunday despite the fragile ceasefire that has largely held since April.
The United Arab Emirates said its air defenses intercepted two drones launched from Iran, while Kuwait reported several hostile drones entering its airspace. A cargo vessel near Qatar was also reportedly struck by a drone, sparking a fire aboard the ship, according to regional and maritime reports.
Iranian military officials simultaneously issued fresh threats tied to the Strait of Hormuz, with Revolutionary Guard-linked figures warning that any U.S. attack on Iranian oil tankers or commercial vessels would trigger “harsh” retaliation against American bases and allied ships in the region.
Trump has repeatedly warned that the United States could resume expanded military operations if negotiations fail to produce an acceptable agreement.
Last week, Trump threatened to revive “Project Freedom,” the American-led maritime operation intended to escort commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, while warning any renewed effort would come at a significantly higher level if diplomacy collapses.
“We may go back to Project Freedom if things don’t happen,” Trump told reporters Friday. “But it’ll be Project Freedom Plus.”
In an interview aired Sunday on Full Measure, Trump declared Iran had already suffered devastating military losses while warning operations could still expand dramatically if necessary.
“Well, they’re militarily defeated,” Trump said. “They have no Navy. They have no Air Force. They have no anti-aircraft weaponry. They have no radar.”
Trump added that additional American strikes remain fully on the table.
“We could go in for two more weeks and do every single target,” he warned.
Trump also vowed the United States would ultimately prevent Iran from recovering or relocating its highly enriched uranium stockpile.
“We’ll get that at some point,” Trump said. “We have it very well surveilled. If anybody got near the place, we will know about it — and we’ll blow them up.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu similarly insisted Sunday that the operation against Iran was not complete, emphasizing that Tehran still retains enriched uranium, missile capabilities, and portions of its nuclear infrastructure.
“There are still enrichment sites that have to be dismantled,” Netanyahu said during a preview clip released from a 60 Minutes interview. “There’s still nuclear material, enriched uranium, that has to be taken out.”
Meanwhile, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian struck a defiant tone Sunday even as negotiations continued.
“We will never bow our heads before the enemy, and if talk of dialogue or negotiation arises, it does not mean surrender or retreat,” Pezeshkian wrote on X.
Joshua Klein is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @JoshuaKlein.
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