Iran on Tuesday warned the United States to accept the conditions outlined in Tehran’s 14-point peace proposal or risk the collapse of ongoing efforts to end the Middle East conflict.
The warning came after Donald Trump rejected Iran’s latest counteroffer and described the fragile ceasefire, in place since April 8, as being on “life support.”
Iran’s chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said Washington must recognise what he described as the “rights” of the Iranian people if it genuinely wanted peace.
“There is no alternative but to accept the rights of the Iranian people as laid out in the 14-point proposal,” Ghalibaf wrote on X.
“Any other approach will be completely inconclusive; nothing but one failure after another.”
He also warned that prolonged negotiations would increase costs for American taxpayers.
The latest exchange highlights growing tensions despite attempts to revive diplomacy after an initial round of talks failed to produce a breakthrough last month.
Iran has maintained a hardline position throughout the conflict, while military officials in Tehran have warned they are prepared to respond to any renewed US military action.
The standoff has also disrupted global trade, with Iran tightening control around the Strait of Hormuz, a critical oil shipping route, while the US has reportedly maintained a naval blockade around Iranian ports.
Although details of Washington’s latest proposal remain unclear, reports suggest it includes a one-page memorandum aimed at ending hostilities and reopening negotiations over Iran’s nuclear programme.
Iran’s foreign ministry said its response demanded a complete end to military operations across the region, including in Lebanon, the lifting of the US naval blockade and the release of Iranian assets frozen under international sanctions.
However, Tehran did not specify what concessions it was prepared to make in return.
Meanwhile, Iran’s parliamentary national security commission signalled that lawmakers may consider enriching uranium to weapons-grade levels if fighting resumes.
“One of Iran’s options in the event of another attack could be 90 percent enrichment,” commission spokesman Ebrahim Rezaei said in a post on X.
Iran currently possesses a substantial stockpile of uranium enriched to 60 percent purity, while about 90 percent enrichment is generally considered weapons-grade.
The issue of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile remains one of the major obstacles in negotiations, as the United States continues to demand that the material be removed from the country.
Tehran has so far rejected that demand, insisting it has the right to peaceful nuclear energy, though officials have indicated that enrichment levels could still be negotiated.
