US President Donald Trump on Saturday said he is reviewing a 14-point proposal from Iran to end the regional conflict, while indicating the possibility of further military action.
Speaking to reporters on the tarmac in Palm Beach, Florida, before boarding Air Force One, Trump said: “We’re doing very well with regard to Iran. They want to make a deal.”
He confirmed that the proposal had been delivered through a Pakistani intermediary. “I’m looking at it… I’ll let you know about it later,” he said.
Trump described Iran as significantly weakened. “They wanna make a deal, they’re decimated. They’re having a hard time figuring out who their leader is,” he added.
On Iran’s remaining missile capability, estimated at about 15 per cent, he said: “Well, I’d like to eliminate it. Yeah. I’d like to. It’d be a start for them to build up again, and yeah, I would like to eliminate it.”
The US President did not rule out renewed strikes. “If they misbehave, if they do something bad… it’s a possibility that could happen. Certainly,” he said.
Trump also defended the ongoing US blockade as “very friendly” and unchallenged, and left open the possibility of American energy companies operating in Iran, saying “Could be. It could be.” He further announced deeper troop cuts in Germany. “We’re gonna cut way down and we’re cutting a lot further than 5,000,” he said.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump expressed scepticism over the proposal. “I will soon be reviewing the plan that Iran has just sent to us, but can’t imagine that it would be acceptable in that they have not yet paid a big enough price for what they have done to Humanity, and the World, over the last 47 years,” he wrote.
What Tehran’s counter-proposal states
Iran has submitted a 14-point response to the US via a Pakistani intermediary, calling for an end to the conflict on all fronts, including Lebanon, within 30 days rather than a two-month ceasefire.
The proposal includes guarantees against aggression, withdrawal of US forces from the region, release of frozen assets, removal of sanctions, and a new mechanism for the Strait of Hormuz.
Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said the proposal was “aimed at the permanent end” of the conflict. “Now the ball is in the United States’ court to choose either the path of diplomacy or continuation of a confrontational approach,” he added.
Israel strikes Hezbollah targets in Lebanon
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) carried out strikes on around 50 Hezbollah-linked infrastructure sites and 70 military structures in southern Lebanon over the past day.
The IDF said it targeted command centres, weapons storage facilities, and other sites used to plan attacks against Israeli forces.
“The IDF will continue to operate against threats directed at Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers,” it said.
US fast-tracks USD 8 billion arms sales
The Trump administration has approved more than USD 8 billion in emergency arms sales to Gulf countries and Israel, bypassing Congress.
The packages include Advanced Precision Kill Weapon Systems for the UAE, Israel, and Qatar, Patriot missile replenishment for Qatar, and an Integrated Battle Command System for Kuwait. The State Department cited national security interests and an existing emergency.
Iran condemns Trump’s remarks
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei criticised Trump’s description of US vessel seizures as “We’re like pirates,” calling it a “damning admission of the criminal nature of their actions.”
He urged the international community and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to reject any normalisation of such violations of international maritime law.
(With IANS, AFP, and ANI inputs)