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中東風雲錄--開欄文：埃及的加薩重建方案 -- Al Jazeera
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下文為本欄開欄文。
埃及的加薩重建方案 -- Al Jazeera
What is Egypt’s plan for the reconstruction of Gaza?
Arab League endorses Egyptian proposal that provides alternative to US President Trump’s plan to take over Gaza.
Al Jazeera Staff, 03/04/25
Arab states have adopted Egypt’s Gaza reconstruction plan, providing a potential path forward after Israel’s devastating war on the Palestinian enclave.
Egypt unveiled its plan on Tuesday while hosting an Arab League Summit in its capital Cairo.
The plan offers an alternative to United States President Donald Trump’s suggestion that the Gaza Strip be depopulated to “develop” the enclave, under US control, in what critics have called ethnic cleansing. Under the Egyptian plan, Gaza’s Palestinian population would not be forced to leave the territory.
Trump had insisted that Egypt and Jordan take Palestinians forced out of Gaza by his plan, but that was quickly rejected, and the US has signalled that it is open to hearing what an Arab plan for Gaza’s post-war reconstruction would be.
Speaking at the start of the summit, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said that Trump would be able to achieve peace in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Here’s everything you need to know about the plan, based on Al Jazeera’s own reporting, as well as drafts of the plan reported on by the Reuters news agency and the Egyptian newspaper Al-Ahram.
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What does the Egyptian plan call for?
The plan consists of three major stages: Interim measures, reconstruction and governance.
The first stage would last about six months, while the next two phases would take place over a combined four to five years.
The aim is to reconstruct Gaza – which Israel has almost completely destroyed – maintain peace and security and reassert the governance of the Palestinian Authority (PA) in the territory, 17 years after it was kicked out following fighting between Fatah, which dominates the PA, and Hamas.
How does the plan aim to rebuild Gaza?
A six-month interim period would require a committee of Palestinian technocrats – operating under the management of the PA – to clear the rubble from Salah al-Din Street, which is the main north-south highway in the Gaza Strip.
Once the roads are clear, 200,000 temporary housing units would be built to accommodate 1.2 million people and about 60,000 damaged buildings restored.
According to the blueprint, longer-term reconstruction requires an additional four to five years after the interim measures are completed. Over that span, the plan aims to build at least 400,000 permanent homes, as well as rebuilding Gaza’s seaport and international airport.
Gradually, basic provisions such as water, a waste system, telecommunication services and electricity would also be restored.
The plan further calls for the establishment of a Steering and Management Council, which would be a financial fund supporting the interim governing body in Gaza.
In addition, conferences will be held for international donors to provide the necessary funding for reconstruction and long-term development in the Strip.
Who would be in charge of Gaza?
The plan calls for a group of “independent Palestinian technocrats” to manage affairs in Gaza, in effect replacing Hamas.
The technocratic government would be responsible for overseeing humanitarian aid and would pave the way for the PA to administer Gaza, according to el-Sisi.
Speaking at Tuesday’s summit, PA President Mahmoud Abbas said that an election could take place next year if circumstances allowed.
On the security front, Egypt and Jordan have both pledged to train Palestinian police officers and deploy them to Gaza. The two countries have also called on the United Nations Security Council to consider authorising a peacekeeping mission to oversee governance in Gaza until reconstruction is complete.
How much is this going to cost?
Egypt is calling for $53 bn to fund the reconstruction of Gaza, with the money distributed over three phases.
In the first six-month phase it would cost $3bn to clear rubble from Salah al-Din Street, construct temporary housing and restore partially damaged homes.
The second phase would take two years and cost $20bn. The work of rubble removal would continue in this phase, as well as the establishment of utility networks and the building of more housing units.
Phase three would cost $30bn and take two and a half years. It would include completing housing for Gaza’s whole population, establishing the first phase of an industrial zone, building fishing and commercial ports, and building an airport, among other services.
According to the plan, the money will be sourced from a variety of international sources including the UN and international financial organisations as well as foreign and private sector investments.
Is the plan going to work?
There are still a number of variables that could complicate the plan. Perhaps most importantly, it is unclear whether Hamas, Israel or the US will agree to it.
Hamas welcomed the reconstruction plan, and has previously agreed to a technocratic government. But it is less clear if it will accept the return of the PA, which itself would face the perception from its critics that it has returned to Gaza on the back of Israel’s tanks.
Hamas may be willing to discuss its removal from governance, but is adamantly against its disarmament – something the Egyptian plan adopted by the Arab League did not discuss.
Israel has made it clear that this is a red line, and that Hamas will not be allowed to keep its weapons. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also said that he will not allow the PA to return to Gaza.
There is also the question of whether Trump will abandon his idea of a US-controlled “Middle East Riviera” for the Egyptian plan. It is difficult to predict what Trump’s position will be, particularly if Israel signals its opposition to the Egyptian plan.
What has the response been so far?
In response to Egypt’s plan, Israel said that Arab states needed to “break free from past constraints and collaborate to create a future of stability and security in the region”.
Instead, Israel continues to back Trump’s Gaza displacement plan – which echoes a longstanding call from the Israeli far-right to depopulate Gaza.
Egypt called Israel’s response “unacceptable”, with Minister of Foreign Affairs Badr Abdelatty describing the Netanyahu government’s position as “stubborn and extremist”.
Abdelatty said it would be impossible to see peace in the region without an independent Palestinian state. “No single state should be allowed to impose its will on the international community,” he added.
The White House continues to stand by Trump’s plan for Gaza, but said it would welcome collaboration with regional partners – except Hamas.
“While the President stands by his bold vision for a post-war Gaza, he welcomes input from our Arab partners in the region. It’s clear his proposals have driven the region to come to the table rather than allow this issue to devolve into further crisis,” White House National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes said.
“President Trump has been clear that Hamas cannot continue to govern Gaza,” he added.
相關閱讀：
Arab leaders endorse Egypt’s Gaza reconstruction plan
European leaders back 'realistic' Arab plan for Gaza
For Israel, ceasefire is a continuation of war by other means
The Egyptian Gaza plan: A deadly trap for Israel and the US
The Egyptian plan for postwar Gaza is a good starting point—but it needs changes
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川瘋「不接受」伊朗議和方案 – Jon Gambrell/Samy Magdy
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請參考本欄上一篇。
Iran responds to US ceasefire proposal but Trump rejects it as 'unacceptable'
JON GAMBRELL/SAMY MAGDY, 05/11/26
(ASSOCIATED PRESS) Photos of life inside Iran after U.S. ceasefire proposal falters 多張照片
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran sent its response to the latest U.S. proposal to end the Iran war via Pakistani mediators on Sunday, but U.S. President Donald Trump quickly rejected it in a social media post as “TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE!” — the latest setback to efforts to resolve the standoff in the Persian Gulf that has throttled shipping and sent energy prices soaring.
Iranian state television reported that Tehran rejected the U.S. proposal as amounting to surrender, insisting instead on “war reparations by the U.S., full Iranian sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, an end to sanctions, and the release of seized Iranian assets.”
Washington’s latest proposal addressed a deal to end the war, reopen the strait and roll back Iran’s nuclear program.
Trump’s rejection of the Iranian response included no details. In an earlier post, he accused Tehran of “playing games” with the United States for nearly 50 years, adding: “They will be laughing no longer!”
Trump is giving diplomacy “every chance we possibly can before going back to hostilities,” the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, told ABC earlier.
Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not been seen or heard publicly since the war began, “issued new and decisive directives for the continuation of operations and the powerful confrontation with the enemies” while meeting with the head of the joint military command, the state broadcaster reported, with no details.
Magdy reported from Cairo. Associated Press writers Munir Ahmed in Islamabad; Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel; Tong-hyung Kim in Seoul, South Korea; Julia Frankel in Jerusalem and Josh Boak in Washington contributed to this report.
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川瘋能詐唬伊朗嗎？-Michael Collins等
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* Iran live updates: Tehran sends response to latest US proposal, state media says
* Day 71 of Middle East conflict — US awaits response from Iran on proposal to end war
Can Trump's tough-guy approach work with Iran?
Michael Collins/Kim Hjelmgaard/Chris Kenning, USA TODAY, 05/09/26
WASHINGTON – The bombs had been falling for just six days when President Donald Trump spelled out his demands for ending the war in Iran.
There will be no peace deal, he said, without Iran’s “unconditional surrender.”
But with gas prices soaring, his popularity tanking and polls showing most Americans oppose the war, Trump has suggested a peace deal might be possible.
“It’ll be over quickly,” Trump predicted this week as Iran mulled a U.S. proposal that would halt the fighting but leave unresolved many of the most contentious issues between the two countries. Since the war with Iran began Feb. 28, Trump has said that it would be over soon and that Iran should sign a peace deal quickly or be annihilated.
Just this week, Trump said peace negotiations to end the war continue but need to be resolved or Iran will face more military action, possibly even nukes. Key elements in the talks are for Iran to agree not to develop nuclear weapons and to allow commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
“The talks are going very well but they have to understand, if it doesn’t get signed, they’re going to have a lot of pain,” Trump said of Iran. But he noted that he would not abandon the cease-fire agreement now in effect. He indicated that if he were abandoning the agreement, it would be clear because there would be "one big glow coming out of Iran."
Grief and destruction in the Middle East amid Iran War ceasefire
A U.S.-Iran ceasefire, which also included Israel, began on April 7-8, 2026.
Pictured here, mourners attend the funeral of people, including Hezbollah members, who were killed during the conflict with Israel before a 10-day ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel went into effect, in Kfar Sir, Lebanon, April 21, 2026.
A U.S.-Iran ceasefire, which also included Israel, began on April 7-8, 2026.
Military experts and philosophers from the ancient Chinese general Sun Tzu to Nobel Prize-winning Colombian novelist Gabriel Garcia Márquez have historically noted that it’s much easier to start a war than to end one. Trump and his team seem to be discovering the hard truth behind that theory as they look for an exit ramp out of a conflict that has already killed thousands of people across the Middle East.
“We have gone from Trump demanding total capitulation to Trump essentially taking Iran’s word for it,” said Brett Bruen, a former diplomat who worked in the White House as director of global engagement under President Barack Obama.
The Trump administration is trying to end the war and extricate itself from a conflict that hasn't gone as planned, has sent oil prices skyrocketing and goes against American public opinion, said Dina Esfandiary, a Geneva-based Iranian national and Middle East policy expert at Bloomberg Economics, which analyzes geopolitical shifts.
"It is trying to test the waters and see what it can get away with without too much political cost within the constraints of the domestic situation in the U.S.," she said.
Trump's early remarks about the war threatened total destruction if Iran did not act quickly to bend to U.S. demands. He warned in April that “a whole civilization will die." But so far, Iran has not taken the bait, and Trump continues to talk annihilation – but in the context of getting a peace agreement signed.
But that tough talk has not brought Iran's capitulation. That “reflects the dilemma he’s now in,” said Daniel R. DePetris, a fellow at Defense Priorities, a Washington think tank that advocates for a smaller global U.S. military footprint.
“He remains unwilling to provide the Iranians the kinds of concessions that could actually end the war and continues to believe that coercion will eventually compel Iran to sign a settlement on U.S. terms,” DePetris said.
In another twist, Trump and his top aides say the war is already over, even as bombs continue to fly across the Strait of Hormuz and as Israel continues its airstrikes in Lebanon.
The U.S. launched strikes on Iran on May 7, for example, in response to attacks on American warships, the Pentagon said. It described these as "self-defense strikes" following attacks on three American naval vessels. None of the warships were hit, U.S. Central Command said in a statement.
War Powers Act flouted
Trump notified Congress on Friday, May 1, that he doesn’t need its authorization to continue operations in Iran because a two-week ceasefire reached on April 7 has been extended and hostilities have been terminated. A federal law called the War Powers Act requires the president to seek congressional authorization when a military conflict crosses the 60-day mark.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio made essentially the same argument at a White House briefing on Tuesday, May 5.
"The Operation Epic Fury is concluded,” Rubio said, using the war’s military code name. “We achieved the objectives of that operation.”
Rubio has also asserted that the War Powers Act is unconstitutional and suggested this is a position that has been shared by "every single president" since the law passed in 1973.
The truth is a little hazier: U.S. presidents have generally accepted portions of the statute in practice while disputing specific mechanisms, according to the Congressional Research Service, a research branch agency within the Library of Congress.
Still, analysts question how the war can be over when the U.S. and Iran continue to exchange fire over the Strait of Hormuz. They also point out there’s little evidence the U.S. has achieved its goals, which have shifted repeatedly during the war.
Trump suggested at the start of the military campaign that the U.S. objective was to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.
Iran’s ballistic missile program has been severely damaged by the attacks, which have reduced its operational capacity by as much as 60%. But Iran still has enough nuclear material to make roughly 12 bombs if it should decide to use its remaining nuclear facilities to build these weapons, according to the Council on Foreign Relations, which analyzes American foreign policy and international relations.
Just hours into the conflict, Trump seemed to suggest the goal of the campaign was regime change. “The hour of your freedom is at hand,” he said in a message directed at the Iranian people. "Now is the time to seize control of your destiny and unleash a prosperous and glorious future,” he added.
Iran's political and military leadership have been decimated by the war. Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, was killed in a joint U.S.-Israeli airstrike that targeted his compound in the opening salvo of the conflict. He was succeeded by his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, who is considered more of an ideological extremist than his father. Other political and military leaders also have died in the attacks, but Iran’s ruling regime remains in charge despite the leadership changes.
In one sense, Bruen said, the regime has emerged even stronger. Before the war, “the regime seemed to be faltering, on the verge of failing,” he said. “They have now been able to strengthen their position with key groups internally. And that probably gives them another couple of decades in power."
Looking for an Iran off-ramp
Over the past few weeks, the Trump administration’s focus has appeared to shift toward reopening the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of the global oil supply must pass on its way to world markets. In the face of Iran’s refusal to reopen the channel, the U.S. military launched an operation on May 4 to escort commercial ships through the passageway. But Trump paused the mission the next day, citing “great progress” toward negotiating a final peace deal with Iran.
Trump and his aides insist that operation should not be considered part of the war effort. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth described it as “a temporary mission.”
But Bruen and others don’t buy that argument. “The closing of this strait was a direct result of our attack,” he said. “You can’t say that a war is over if the enemy is seizing waters or territory.”
Meanwhile, pressure to halt the war has mounted because of growing economic pain on both sides, neither of which has been willing to “cry uncle,” said Gregory Aftandilian, a foreign policy professor at American University in Washington.
The challenge for Trump, he said, is trying to end an unpopular war that has raised gas prices but doing so in a way that shows a tangible gain.
“He's looking for an off-ramp, to be sure,” Aftandilian said, but one in which a deal with Iran brings new concessions that allow him to “tell the American people it was worth it.”
A deal to lift the U.S.-imposed naval blockade in Iran and open the Strait of Hormuz would be the easy part, Aftandilian said. The much stickier problem is reaching a nuclear deal, which has been at the center of administration’s rationale for the war. Deciding to negotiate that later could be a political risk for Trump, he said.
“I'm not sure that would be acceptable to Trump because how does he sell that to the American people?” he said. “Critics of him would jump on that and say, ‘Well, what did you really accomplish here? The strait was open before the war, and now we're in endless negotiations with Iran over nuclear issues. So what was the whole point of the war?’”
Complicating matters is a nuclear agreement that the Obama administration, working with a handful of other nations, negotiated with Iran in 2015. Under the deal, Iran agreed not to produce highly enriched uranium or the plutonium for weapons. Trump, however, mocked the agreement as a bad deal and pulled out of it during his first term despite a consensus among nuclear-watchdog experts, such as the International Atomic Energy Agency, that it was working.
Trump’s withdrawal from that pact means “he can't accept the Obama parameters, even though probably whatever deal is going to be made is going to be probably pretty close to that,” Aftandilian said.
Even as it reviews the Trump administration’s proposal to end the war, Iran is expecting a new U.S. attack and believes it could come before the American president leaves for a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping on May 14-15, said Seyed Mohammad Marandi, a Tehran-based, Iranian-American academic and political analyst. Marandi served as an adviser to Iran’s negotiating team during the 2015 nuclear talks and still has close ties to the Iranian government.
Iran is finding it difficult to understand the Trump administration’s shifting war rhetoric, Marandi said in a message on WhatsApp.
"Deciphering Trump is not possible," he said.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Can Trump's tough guy approach work with Iran?
相關報導
Trump says ceasefire still on. US launches 'self-defense strikes' on Iran
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川瘋一意孤行搞得眾叛親離 -- Mosheh Gains
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US and Iran exchange fire, but Trump says ceasefire still in effect
其他國家領袖終於開始了解；跟著川瘋胡攪蠻纏要付出代價！
Trump’s abrupt U-turn on a plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz came after backlash from allies
Saudi Arabia, a key Gulf ally, suspended the U.S. military’s ability to use its bases and airspace to carry out the operation, sources say.
Mosheh Gains, 05/07/26
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s abrupt reversal on his plan to help ships go through the Strait of Hormuz came after a key Gulf ally suspended the U.S. military’s ability to use its bases and airspace to carry out the operation, according to two U.S. officials.
Trump surprised Gulf allies by announcing “Project Freedom” on social media Sunday afternoon, the officials said, angering leadership in Saudi Arabia. In response, the Kingdom informed the U.S. it would not allow the U.S. military to fly aircraft from Prince Sultan Airbase southeast of Riyadh or fly through Saudi airspace to support the effort, the officials said.
A call between Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman did not resolve the issue, the two U.S. officials said, forcing the president to pause Project Freedom in order to restore U.S. military access to the critical airspace.
Other close Gulf allies were also caught off guard; the president spoke with leaders in Qatar after the effort had already begun.
A Saudi source told NBC News that Trump and the crown prince “have been in touch regularly.” Saudi officials were also in touch with Trump, Vice President JD Vance, U.S. Central Command and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the source added.
Asked whether the announcement of Project Freedom caught the Saudi leaders by surprise, the Saudi source said: “The problem with that premise is that things are happening quickly in real time.” The source said Saudi Arabia was “very supportive of the diplomatic efforts” by Pakistan to broker a deal between Iran and the U.S. to end the war.
A White House official said in a statement when asked about some Gulf state leaders being caught off guard by the announcement of the U.S. effort to help ships transit the Strait of Hormuz, “Regional allies were notified in advance.”
A Middle Eastern diplomat said the U.S. did not coordinate Project Freedom with the Omanis until after Trump made the announcement. “The U.S. made an announcement and then coordinated with us,” the diplomat said, adding, “we were not upset or angry.”
Trump had announced the operation over the weekend as a way to break Iran’s blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, and his top national security leaders spent much of Tuesday talking up the effort in public briefings at the Pentagon and White House, only to have the president suddenly halt the operation roughly 36 hours after it began.
The U.S. military had been lining up a number of additional ships in the Gulf for transit through the strait when the operation was stopped, a U.S. official said. U.S. Central Command had earlier announced that two U.S. flagged ships had made it through the strait as part of Project Freedom.
In his post, Trump said Project Freedom would be “paused for a short period of time to see whether or not” an agreement to resolve the war “can be finalized and signed.”
The U.S. military maintains fighter aircraft, refueling tankers and air defenses at Prince Sultan Airbase in Saudi Arabia. The Saudis allowed the U.S. to fly aircraft from there to support the war in Iran, as well as allowing aircraft based in nearby countries to fly over.
“Because of geography, you need cooperation from regional partners to utilize their airspace along their borders,” one U.S. official said. In some cases there is no other way around, the official explained. Military aircraft were critical to protect ships during Project Freedom, essentially providing a defensive umbrella.
The U.S. military refers to permission to use another country’s territory as ABO, which stands for access, basing and overflight. Fighter jets, refueling tankers and support aircraft all need permission to fly from key regional allies. Saudi Arabia and Jordan are critical for allowing aircraft to base there, Kuwait is critical for overflight, and Oman for both overflight and naval logistics.
Trump called the emir of Qatar after Project Freedom began, and a Qatari official said in a statement that they discussed the ceasefire agreement and “implications for maritime security and global supply chains.” The statement said the emir emphasized the importance of de-escalation.
The U.S. military continues to maintain a presence in and around the Gulf. It has a bigger footprint in the region than it did on Feb. 28 when the war began. There are two carrier strike groups in the region, and the Pentagon has brought in additional logistics and support and has re-supplied stockpiles.
Project Freedom briefly provided U.S. military surveillance, firepower and personnel on board ships so they could safely transit out of the Persian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz, as Iranian forces continued to threaten and attack ships in transit through the critical waterway. Pentagon officials said the operation was separate from the bombing campaign that began on Feb. 28 and was dubbed “Epic Fury.”
The Trump administration has attempted to push forward on a negotiated agreement to end the hostilities. Iran was reviewing another peace proposal with the U.S., Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said in an interview with Iran’s semiofficial ISNA news agency. He said once the regime has assessed it, Iran will discuss it with Pakistan, which has been acting as a mediator. Axios first reported details of the proposal.
In a social media post early Wednesday, Trump didn’t detail the proposal, but said the war could end if “Iran agrees to give what has been agreed to.”
“They want to make a deal,” Trump said from the Oval Office on Wednesday. He said there had been “very good talks over the last 24 hours.”
The political pressure is mounting on Trump ahead of the November midterm elections, when Republicans will be fighting to preserve their narrow margin in the House and majority in the Senate. In an interview with PBS on Wednesday, the president said it’s possible U.S. negotiators could strike a deal with Iran’s regime before he travels to Beijing next week for a meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping.
“I think it’s got a very good chance of ending, and if it doesn’t end, we have to go back to bombing the hell out of them,” Trump told PBS.
Several close Trump confidants have encouraged the president to “finish the job” in Iran by taking out the rest of the regime’s conventional military assets, even insisting that the offensive could be completed by the time of the critical China trip, according to multiple former U.S. officials.
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Iranian leaders Wednesday and said it was critical the war ended as soon as possible.
“We believe that a comprehensive ceasefire is urgently needed, that a resumption of hostilities is not acceptable, and that it is particularly important to remain committed to dialogue and negotiations,” Wang said in a video of the meeting accessed by The Associated Press.
In a post on social media, a senior Iranian parliament official called the latest proposal a “wish list until it becomes a reality.”
“Americans will not obtain through a failed war what they failed to gain in face-to-face negotiations, Ebrahim Rezaei said on X. “Iran has its finger on the trigger and is ready; if they do not surrender and grant the necessary concessions, or if they or their devilish henchdog allies try to act mischievously, we will deliver a harsh and regret-inducing response.”
But a Jordanian official told NBC News that the diplomatic efforts were serious.
“The Iranians don’t have the economic means to keep this going,” the official said. “Their economy is failing, they can’t pay salaries.”
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霍爾姆茲海峽讓川普像隻無頭蒼蠅 -- Ben Finley等
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Trump Closes in on Deal(with Iran)That Could Drag Catastrophe Out for Years
Trump administration sows confusion as it tries to reopen Strait of Hormuz
BEN FINLEY/MATTHEW LEE /FARNOUSH AMIRI, 05/07/26
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration's approach to the Iran war over the past 24 hours has pinballed from declarations that a tenuous ceasefire was holding and military operations were over to new threats of bombing the Islamic Republic.
Tuesday started with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth explaining how the U.S. military was protecting stranded ships so they could traverse the Strait of Hormuz. He insisted it was a defensive operation and the truce was still in place even though Iran had launched missiles and drones at U.S. forces, which sank Tehran’s small attack boats.
That afternoon, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters at the White House that the military operation was “concluded” and that the U.S. achieved its objectives. But in almost the same breath, he said President Donald Trump was still seeking a “path of peace” that required Iran to agree to a deal to reopen the vital oil shipping corridor.
By Tuesday evening, Trump announced that the effort to protect ships was paused to see if an agreement could be reached. Then on Wednesday morning, he again warned that bombing would resume if Tehran didn't agree to U.S. terms.
The Trump administration’s shifting and often contradictory messaging throughout the Iran war has produced ever more confusion this week as the president and his aides presented a dizzying narrative over the U.S. strategy to unblock the Strait of Hormuz and wrap up the war that drastically changed over the course of mere hours.
Administration officials have been trying to walk a fine line between maintaining the ceasefire and reopening the strait, where 20% of the world’s oil normally flows. The economic fallout is growing as fuel prices rise, with Republicans facing increasing pressure to find solutions to higher costs ahead of the midterm congressional elections.
Aides are trying to sell Trump's strategies
The Trump administration has struggled with its messaging because the war wasn't well planned, said Elizabeth Dent, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
“Because it happened very quickly, it wasn’t sold to the American public in a way that I think was palatable,” said Dent, a former official in the State Department and Pentagon. “Now I think Trump is sort of doing everything he can to prevent a return of hostilities because he saw how unpopular the war was.”
Throughout the conflict, the president has shifted his priorities and his perspectives on victory. He's offered a murky definition of a ceasefire. And he's provided his own interpretation of a law that requires congressional approval for military operations after 60 days.
The confusion is fueled in part by Trump’s tendency to make off-the-cuff statements that essentially make policy, Dent said. Aides like Rubio and Hegseth must then explain Trump's statements.
The whirlwind 24 hours of decision-making by the Trump administration also reflects a realization that any alternative to an agreement “is going to range from unpalatable to outright ugly” at a moment of great political importance for the Republican president, said Ali Vaez, Iran director at the International Crisis Group.
“This is not an administration that operates based on a policy process. It operates based on impulse. And the president seems now both tired of this war and reluctant to continue investing his political capital into it,” Vaez said.
The administration's narrative whipsaws on the Strait of Hormuz effort
The last couple of days have been emblematic of how the Trump administration's statements can seem out of sync and hard to follow.
The president said Sunday that U.S. forces would safely guide hundreds of stranded commercial vessels out of the strait, which Iran has effectively closed by firing at ships off its coast.
On Tuesday, Hegseth and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Dan Caine, said two American-flagged freighters transited the waterway to lead the effort, but Iran fired at U.S. ships and the military sank six Iranian small attack boats.
When asked about the fire from both sides, Hegseth said, “No, the ceasefire is not over.” Caine also said Iranian attacks did not reach the level of “restarting major combat operations.”
Rubio later insisted Trump's preference was diplomacy.
“Operation Epic Fury is concluded. We achieved the objectives of that operation,” he said, referring to the code name for the U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran. “What the president would prefer is a deal.”
A deal seemed closer at hand when Trump said Tuesday night on social media that he was halting the operation in the strait to see what would happen with negotiations. But on Wednesday morning, Trump threatened Iran once again.
“If they don’t agree, the bombing starts, and it will be, sadly, at a much higher level and intensity than it was before,” he wrote on Truth Social.
The U.S. military said Wednesday that it shot at and disabled an Iranian oil tanker as it tried to breach the blockade of Iran’s shipping.
Seeking help from other countries in the strait
Another confusing element is the administration's efforts to persuade allies to deploy warships to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump has been lashing out at countries unwilling to do more, telling them to “go get your own oil” and saying it was not America’s job to secure the strait. But administration officials have begun actively soliciting help while toning down their language.
Rubio said the issue is not a lack of interest, but that many are unable to provide the necessary resources.
“A lot of countries would love to do something about it. But they don’t have a navy, right? Or they can’t get there in time,” he said.
After Trump's abrupt suspension of the initiative, two U.S. officials said the administration was still deciding whether, and how, to proceed with planning, following the State Department’s formal request for support from countries last week.
The officials, who spoke on Wednesday on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, said Trump’s announcement had not been expected and that they had not been offered detailed guidance on whether to withdraw the requests for support.
U.S. allies like Britain and France have rejected on-again, off-again suggestions from Trump that they become militarily involved, but they have led the formation of a separate international maritime coalition to secure the strait — but only once the threat to shipping ends. France’s aircraft carrier strike group is moving south of the Suez Canal and into the Red Sea in preparation for a potential French-British mission in the strait.
The issue only has been more complicated by Trump’s trip to Beijing next week.
“Going to China while the strait remains closed is humiliating for President Trump and puts China in a position of strength vis-a-vis the United States, because President Trump would have to, as he has done recently, ask for China’s help to resolve a problem that didn’t exist before he launched a war,” Vaez said.
Amiri reported from New York.
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美國和伊朗將簽訂和議備忘錄 - Ariba Shahid/Steve Holland
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拭目以待，屏息以待。
US and Iran closing in on memorandum to end war, Pakistani source says
Ariba Shahid/Steve Holland, 05/06/26
Summary
* Pakistani source: 'We will close this very soon'
* Iran demands fair, comprehensive deal in talks, Foreign Minister Araqchi says
* Trump claims 'great progress' towards agreement, pauses ship escorts through Hormuz
* French container ship hit in strait, crew injured
* Blockade of strait, ongoing conflict disrupt oil supply and global economy
ISLAMABAD/WASHINGTON, May 6 (Reuters) - The United States and Iran are closing in on an agreement on a one-page memorandum to end the war in the Gulf, a source from mediator Pakistan familiar with the negotiations said.
The Pakistani source said a report earlier by the U.S. media outlet Axios on the proposed memorandum was accurate. The Axios report had cited two U.S. officials and two other sources familiar with the discussions.
"We will close this very soon. We are getting close," the Pakistani source said. Last month Pakistan hosted the war's only peace talks so far, and it has continued in that role of mediator, ferrying proposals between the sides.
Reports of the possible agreement to end the war caused global oil prices to plunge, with benchmark Brent crude futures falling more than 8% to around $100 a barrel. Global share prices also leapt and bond yields fell on optimism of an end to a war that has disrupted energy supplies.
The White House, the State Department and Iranian officials contacted by Reuters did not immediately respond to requests for comment. U.S. news channel CNBC quoted a spokesperson from the Iranian foreign ministry as saying Tehran was evaluating a 14-point U.S. proposal.
Axios reported that the White House believed it was closing in on a one-page memorandum to end the war with Iran. The report came hours after U.S. President Donald Trump paused a three-day-old naval mission to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
The Axios report said the U.S. expected Iranian responses on several key points in the next 48 hours.
Among other provisions, Axios said, the deal would involve Iran committing to a moratorium on nuclear enrichment, the U.S. agreeing to lift its sanctions and release billions of dollars in frozen Iranian funds, and both sides lifting restrictions around transit through the Strait of Hormuz.
14-POINT MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING
The one-page, 14-point memorandum of understanding was being negotiated between U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner and several Iranian officials, both directly and through mediators, Axios said.
In its current form, the memorandum would declare an end to the war in the region and the start of a 30-day period of negotiations on a detailed agreement to open the strait, limit Iran's nuclear programme and lift U.S. sanctions, Axios added.
Iran's restrictions on shipping through the strait and the U.S. naval blockade of Iran would be gradually lifted during that 30-day period, Axios said, citing one U.S. official who added that if the negotiations collapsed, U.S. forces would be able to restore the blockade or resume military action.
Earlier, Trump announced a pause to "Project Freedom", a mission he announced on Sunday to guide ships through the blocked strait. The mission had failed to bring about any significant resumption of traffic through the waterway, while provoking a new wave of Iranian strikes on ships in the strait and on targets in neighbouring countries.
In the latest incident, a French shipping company reported on Wednesday that one of its container ships had been struck in the strait the previous day, and that injured crew had been evacuated.
In announcing he was pausing the mission, Trump cited "great progress" in negotiations with Iran, without giving further details.
"We have mutually agreed that, while the Blockade will remain in full force and effect, Project Freedom (The Movement of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz) will be paused for a short period of time to see whether or not the Agreement can be finalized and signed," Trump wrote on social media.
Trump had launched the naval mission to guide ships through the strait after saying he was likely to reject Iran's latest proposal. The Iranian offer, made last week, also contained 14 points.
It had called for setting aside discussion of nuclear issues until after the war ended and the shipping dispute was resolved.
In comments on a visit to China on Wednesday, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi made no mention of Trump's latest remarks, but said Tehran was holding out for "a fair and comprehensive agreement".
A map showing the inbound and outbound shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz, in addition to the the maritime boundary between Oman and Iran. 伊朗控制區域地圖
STRAIT SHUT SINCE END OF FEBRUARY
Iran has effectively shut the strait to all shipping apart from its own since the United States and Israel launched the war on February 28. In April, Washington imposed its own separate blockade of Iranian ports.
Trump's Project Freedom mission to use the U.S. Navy to open the strait failed to persuade merchant ships that it was safe, while provoking new attacks from Iran, which said it was expanding the area under its control to include swathes of the coastline of the United Arab Emirates, on the strait's far side.
While the mission was in effect, Iranian drones and missiles hit several ships in and around the strait, including a South Korean cargo vessel that reported an explosion in its engine room.
Tehran also repeatedly struck targets in the UAE, including the only major Emirati oil port on the coast beyond the strait, which has allowed some exports without crossing through it.
Reporting by Reuters bureaus Writing by Raju Gopalakrishnan and Peter Graff Editing by Lincoln Feast and Alex Richardson
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Ariba Shahid, Thomson Reuters, is a journalist based in Karachi, Pakistan. She primarily covers economic and financial news from Pakistan, along with Karachi-centric stories. Ariba has previously worked at DealStreetAsia and Profit Magazine.
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伊朗提議雙方一月內終結戰爭 - Jorg Luyken
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Iran offers Trump one-month deal to end war as world faces ‘tipping point’
Jorg Luyken, 05/03/26
Iran has proposed a one-month deadline to permanently end the war with the US and open the Strait of Hormuz.
The latest deal submitted by Tehran to Donald Trump via mediators in Pakistan would leave the issue of its nuclear capabilities unresolved until after agreement has been met on other issues.
The proposal arrived as oil analysts warned that a “tipping point” in global crude oil reserves would be hit by the end of May, threatening to send prices soaring in the summer.
The 14-point plan would require both sides to lift their blockades of the Strait of Hormuz, completely end the war in Lebanon, and release Iran’s frozen assets. It would also require the US to pay compensation and lift sanctions against Tehran.
Iran has proposed a deadline of a month for the two sides to reach an agreement on a permanent end to the war. Only in a second stage would the two sides discuss the country’s nuclear programme.
In an initial reaction, Mr Trump appeared to reject the plan.
“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,” the US president said in a post on his Truth Social platform.
Mr Trump has said he is waiting for the exact wording of the Iranian proposal. He has also kept the possibility of renewing strikes on Iran on the table.
Asked on Saturday whether he might restart attacks on Iran, the US president replied: “I don’t want to say that. I mean, I can’t tell that to a reporter. If they misbehave, if they do something bad, right now we’ll see. But it’s a possibility that could happen.”
On Sunday, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps warned Mr Trump that he faced a choice between an “impossible” continuation of the conflict or a “bad deal”.
A statement carried by state TV said the US’s choices to end the war had “narrowed”, citing what it described as a “shift in tone” from China, Russia and Europe towards Washington.
It also said Iran had imposed a “deadline” for the US lifting its naval blockade of Iranian ports, without elaborating.
Oil analysts have warned that stocks of crude oil, diesel and jet fuel will hit critically low levels by the end of May and completely run out by the end of June, potentially throwing the world into a recession.
“You can pick a number” when it comes to how high the oil price will go if the conflict remains unresolved by the end of June, one analyst told the Financial Times.
Arms deals fast-tracked
The US state department has fast-tracked arms deals to the Middle East, bypassing Congressional approval, as the countries that bore the brunt of Iranian ballistic missile attacks during the five-week conflict seek to replenish air-defence systems.
Qatar is the biggest purchaser, spending $5bn on weaponry, while Kuwait has ordered weapons valued at $2.5bn, with total sales to the region accumulating to over €8bn.
Meanwhile, fighting continues in southern Lebanon, where Israel ordered the evacuation of 11 settlements, telling residents to leave their homes and move at least a kilometre from the area.
The Israeli military said it would be conducting operations against Hezbollah. It has continued hitting the Iran-backed militia, with 13 people reported killed in the latest strikes. Hezbollah has also kept up its attacks on northern Israel.
In a further disruption to energy supplies from the Middle East, an oil tanker has been hijacked off the coast of Yemen. The country’s coast guard said unidentified armed men captured the vessel, seized control and steered it toward the Gulf of Aden in the direction of Somali waters.
The coast guard added that it had identified the tanker’s location and was working to track it, take necessary measures to recover it, and ensure the safety of its crew.
Meanwhile, Mr Trump has caused further unease inside Nato by suggesting an announcement on pulling 5,000 US troops out of Germany was just the beginning.
“We’re going to cut way down. And we’re cutting a lot further than 5,000,” the US president told reporters in Florida.
The US announced the reduction in troop numbers in the key Nato ally after Friedrich Merz, the German chancellor, said that Iran was “humiliating” the US via its blockade of oil supplies.
Mr Merz’s remarks led to an angry response by Mr Trump, who has fallen out with several European allies since the war began.
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川痞：伊朗戰爭已「終結」 -- Seung Min Kim
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請參考：
* Trump says 'not satisfied' with new Iran proposal
* The Trump Administration Floats a New Idea to Reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Here's What It Could Mean for the Energy Market.
Trump administration says its war in Iran has been 'terminated' before 60-day deadline
SEUNG MIN KIM, 05/01/26
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is arguing that the war in Iran has already ended because of the ceasefire that began in early April, an interpretation that would allow the White House to avoid the need to seek congressional approval.
The statement furthers an argument laid out by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth during testimony in the Senate earlier Thursday, when he said the ceasefire effectively paused the war. Under that rationale, the administration has not yet met the requirement mandated by a 1973 law to seek formal approval from Congress for military action that extends beyond 60 days.
A senior administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the administration's position, said for purposes of that law, “the hostilities that began on Saturday, Feb. 28 have terminated.” The official said the U.S. military and Iran have not exchanged fire since the two-week ceasefire that began April 7.
While the ceasefire has since been extended, Iran maintains its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, and the U.S. Navy is maintaining a blockade to prevent Iran's oil tankers from getting out to sea.
Under the War Powers Resolution, the law that sought to constrain a president’s military powers, President Donald Trump had until Friday to seek congressional authorization or cease fighting. The law also allows an administration to extend that deadline by 30 days.
Democrats have pushed the administration for formal approval of the Iran war, and the 60-day mark would likely have been a turning point for a swath of Republican lawmakers who backed temporary action against Tehran but insisted on congressional input for something longer.
“That deadline is not a suggestion; it is a requirement,” said Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, who voted Thursday in favor of a measure that would end military action in Iran since Congress hadn’t given its approval. She added that “further military action against Iran must have a clear mission, achievable goals, and a defined strategy for bringing the conflict to a close."
Richard Goldberg, who served as director for countering Iranian weapons of mass destruction for the National Security Council during Trump's first term, said he has recommended to administration officials that they simply transition to a new operation, which he suggested could be called “Epic Passage,” a sequel to Operation Epic Fury.
That new mission, he said, “would inherently be a mission of self-defense focused on reopening the strait while reserving the right to offensive action in support of restoring freedom of navigation.”
“That to me solves it all,” added Goldberg, who is now a senior adviser at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a hawkish Washington think tank.
During testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday, Hegseth said it was the administration’s “understanding” that the 60-day clock was on pause while the two countries were in a ceasefire. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., who had asked Hegseth about the timeline, later told reporters that the defense secretary “advanced a very novel argument that I've never heard before” and “certainly has no legal support.”
Katherine Yon Ebright, counsel at the Brennan Center’s Liberty and National Security Program and an expert on war powers, said that interpretation would be a “sizeable extension of previous legal gamesmanship” related to the 1973 law.
“To be very, very clear and unambiguous, nothing in the text or design of the War Powers Resolution suggests that the 60-day clock can be paused or terminated,” she said.
Other presidents have argued that the military action they’ve taken was not intense enough or was too intermittent to qualify under the War Powers Resolution. But Trump’s war in Iran would certainly not be such a case, Ebright said, adding that lawmakers need to push back against the administration on that kind of argument.
AP writer Aamer Madhani contributed to this report.
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伊朗啪啪打臉川普 ---- Parisa Hafezi/Steve Holland
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請參考：
Iran’s Supreme Leader Says It Won’t Give Up Nuclear Assets In Rare Public Statement (05/01)
Trump Calls Secret Meeting as His War Crisis Spirals
Trump unhappy with Iran's latest proposal to end the war
Parisa Hafezi/Steve Holland, 04/28/26
Summary
* Iranian plan would set aside nuclear issue until war ends
* Trump unhappy with delaying deal on nuclear programme
* Iran demands blockade be lifted before any negotiations begin
DUBAI/WASHINGTON, April 28 (Reuters) - 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 resolution of a conflict that has disrupted energy supplies, fuelled inflation, and killed thousands.
Iran's latest proposal would set aside discussion of Iran's nuclear programme until the war, on hold following a ceasefire announced earlier this month, is ended and disputes over shipping from the Gulf are resolved.
Trump is unhappy with Iran's proposal as he wants nuclear issues dealt with from the outset, said a U.S. official briefed on the president's Monday meeting with his advisers, speaking on condition of anonymity.
White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales said the U.S. has "been clear about our red lines" as it seeks to end the war 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 programme, 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 mediator Pakistan.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi shuttled in and out of Islamabad twice during the weekend. He also visited Oman and on Monday went to Russia, where he met President Vladimir Putin and received words of support from a longstanding ally.
Iran's Deputy Defence Minister Reza Talaei-Nik said on Tuesday that Tehran was ready to share defensive weapons capabilities and experiences gained from "America's defeat" with "independent" nations including those of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. That bloc includes Iran, Russia, China, India, Pakistan and Central Asian states.
OIL PRICES RISE AGAIN
With the warring sides still seemingly far apart, oil prices resumed their upward march, rising nearly 3% on Tuesday and extending gains from the previous session.
"For oil traders, it's not the rhetoric that matters any more, but the actual physical flow of crude oil through the Strait of Hormuz, and right now, that flow remains constrained," Fawad Razaqzada, market analyst at City Index and FOREX.com, said in a note.
At least six tankers loaded with Iranian oil have been forced back to Iran by the U.S. blockade in recent days, ship-tracking data showed, underscoring the war's impact on traffic.
Iran's foreign ministry condemned U.S. action against Iran-linked tankers as "outright legalization of piracy and armed robbery on the high seas", in a social media post.
However, government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani told state media on Tuesday that Iran had prepared for maritime blockade scenarios as early as the U.S. 2024 presidential election and made necessary arrangements so that "there is nothing to worry about".
She added Tehran was using northern, eastern and western trade corridors that do not rely on Gulf ports to neutralise the blockade's effects.
Between 125 and 140 ships usually crossed in and out of the strait daily before the war, but only seven have done so in the past day, according to Kpler ship-tracking data and satellite analysis from SynMax, and none of them were carrying oil bound for the global market.
With his approval ratings falling, Trump faces domestic pressure to end a war for which he has given the U.S. public shifting rationales.
Senior Iranian officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters the proposal carried by Araqchi to Islamabad over the weekend envisioned talks in stages, with the nuclear issue to be set aside at the start.
A first step would require ending the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran and providing guarantees that the U.S. cannot start it up again. Then negotiators would resolve the U.S. Navy's blockade of Iran's trade by sea and the fate of the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran aims to reopen under its control.
Only then would talks look at other issues, including the longstanding dispute over Iran's nuclear programme, with Iran still seeking some kind of U.S. acknowledgment of its right to enrich uranium.
Reporting by Reuters bureaus; Writing by Jonathan Allen, Alexandra Hudson; Editing by Lincoln Feast.
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
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伊朗戰爭和談陷入僵局 -- CNN
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請參考：
* Iran offers to reopen Strait of Hormuz if US lifts its blockade and the war ends, officials say (2026/04/28)
* Germany's Merz says Iran is humiliating US as talks stall (2026/04/27)
* NBC News Drops Bombshell Report on Trump War Battle Damage: ‘Far Worse’ Than Trump Team Said
壞消息是：雙方坐地起價，和談陷入僵局。
好消息是：各自養精蓄銳，戰場硝煙未起。
Trump says US team won’t visit Pakistan as uncertainty surrounds Iran peace talks
Tehran had ruled out a direct meeting with American negotiators in Islamabad.
CNN, 04/25/26
Trump scraps Witkoff-Kushner trip to Pakistan for peace talks
Where things stand
* Trip canceled: President Donald Trump scrapped plans for a US delegation to visit Pakistan, saying talks will continue by phone after Iran declined to meet directly with American negotiators. Trump said he’s since received a new proposal from Tehran, offering “a lot but not enough.” He did not provide details.
* Stalled peace effort: Negotiations have hit repeated roadblocks, with Trump blaming “infighting” in Tehran for complicating the effort. Iran’s top diplomat, who met with Pakistani mediators Saturday, said it’s not clear if Washington is “truly serious about diplomacy.”
* Economic standoff: In the absence of a deal, a US naval blockade is causing rising food prices and unemployment for everyday Iranians, while Tehran’s control of the Strait of Hormuz has economic ripple effects around the world.
* In Lebanon: Meanwhile, Israel has launched more deadly strikes on southern Lebanon, despite a ceasefire agreement recently extended by three weeks. Iran-backed Hezbollah has fired rockets into Israel.
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川瘋「瘋」性不改全球被玩死 - Alayna Treene/Kevin Liptak
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請參考：
* US and Iran warn they are ready for war as talks in limbo
* The world's biggest airlines are canceling flights as they face jet fuel shortages and rising prices
A deal to end the Iran war seemed close. Then Trump started posting on social media
Alayna Treene/Kevin Liptak, CNN, 04/21/26
As the weekend approached, the US and Iran appeared to be closing in on a deal to end the seven-week war.
Then President Donald Trump did exactly what his staffers have repeatedly said they wouldn’t do: He seemed to try negotiating via the press, posting about ongoing talks on social media and speaking to several reporters by phone Friday morning as Pakistani intermediaries updated him on ongoing talks with Iranian officials in Tehran.
He claimed Iran had agreed to a host of provisions that sources familiar with the talks said have not yet been finalized. He also asserted that Tehran had agreed to many of the most contentious US demands — including handing over the enriched uranium — and declared an imminent end to the war.
Iranian officials outwardly rejected many of those assertions and denied they were preparing for another round of talks, rapidly tanking the rising optimism for a deal. Now, it’s unclear where the peace talks go from here.
Some Trump officials privately acknowledged to CNN that the president’s public commentary has been detrimental to talks, noting the sensitivity of the negotiations and the Iranians’ deep mistrust of the US. Compounding matters: American officials suspect there is a divide between Iran’s negotiating team, led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, leading to questions about who can ultimately sign off on a deal.
“The Iranians didn’t appreciate POTUS negotiating through social media and making it appear as if they had signed off on issues they hadn’t yet agreed to, and ones that aren’t popular with their people back home,” one person familiar with the talks told CNN, adding that the Iranians are particularly concerned about appearing to look weak.
Among the president’s claims: Trump told Bloomberg that Iran had agreed to an “unlimited” suspension of its nuclear program. He told CBS News Tehran “agreed to everything,” and would work with the US to remove its enriched uranium. And he told Axios a meeting would “probably take place over the weekend,” adding, “I think we will get a deal in the next day or two.”
The fragile ceasefire between Washington and Tehran was tested once again on Sunday when a US guided-missile destroyer fired on and seized an Iranian cargo ship after it tried to get past the US naval blockade in the Gulf of Oman, further angering the Iranians.
Now, as the expiration date of a two-week ceasefire looms, Trump is again facing a decision: whether to accept a deal, even an imperfect one, or to escalate a conflict he once said would be over by now.
By Monday, officials in Iran sounded less resistant to more negotiations. But the contours of any pending agreement remained unclear.
“The United States has never been closer to a good deal with Iran, unlike the horrible deal made by the Obama Administration, thanks to President Trump’s negotiating ability,” said White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. “Anyone who cannot see President Trump’s tactics to play the long game are either stupid or willfully ignorant.”
Trump has set several red lines for the negotiations, including that Iran freeze its uranium enrichment and surrender its stockpile of near-bomb-grade material. Tehran, meanwhile, insists it be allowed to maintain control over the Strait of Hormuz while also demanding the US lift sanctions.
During the first round of talks, American negotiators proposed a 20-year pause on Iran enriching uranium, a source familiar with the discussions said. Iran responded with a proposal for a five-year suspension, which the US has rejected, according to a US official.
One recent proposal from the Iranian side would involve a 10-year pause on enrichment, followed by another decade where Iran would agree to only enrich to levels well below weapons grade, according to a person familiar with the discussions. Meanwhile, Trump has told reporters that he wants no enrichment indefinitely and is against even the 20-year pause.
The Trump administration is also considering unfreezing $20 billion in Iranian assets as part of ongoing negotiations with Tehran, CNN previously reported. The step would come in exchange for Iran turning over its stockpile of highly enriched uranium.
How flexible each side is on their terms will ultimately dictate whether a deal can be reached. For Trump, one imperative is not agreeing to a deal that could be likened to the Obama-era Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, an Iran nuclear deal he withdrew from in 2018 and has continuously derided as weak.
At the least, negotiators hope to produce a framework understanding between the US and Iran that would then lead to more detailed talks over the coming weeks on the finer points of a deal. That approach has its detractors, however, who warn that Iran could be drawing out the discussions as a play for time as it unearths some of its missile systems that have been buried over the course of the war.
Trump insisted Monday he wasn’t feeling pressure to reach a deal, despite the war’s rising unpopularity among the American public and the role it’s played in higher gas prices.
“I am under no pressure whatsoever, although, it will all happen, relatively quickly!” he wrote on Truth Social.
It was unclear as of Monday afternoon whether any advisers had shared concerns with the president that his penchant for posting could be damaging to the talks. By midday, he had posted multiple times on Truth Social about the war, totaling more than 900 words.
His public comments have only continued to add to the uncertainty surrounding negotiations.
At one point Sunday morning, Trump told a series of callers that Vice President JD Vance would not participate in this round of talks, citing unspecified security concerns. Simultaneously, two senior officials in his government — United Nations Ambassador Mike Waltz and Energy Secretary Chris Wright — appeared on television to say Vance would, in fact, be leading the delegation in Islamabad, as he had for the first round.
It turned out they were right and Trump was wrong. “Things changed,” a White House official told CNN when asked what had happened.
A day later, Trump offered another confusing update, this time about the whereabouts of his No. 2. He told a reporter calling from the New York Post that Vance was in the air and preparing to touch down in Pakistan within hours for the talks. Moments later, Vance’s motorcade — with the vice president inside — arrived at the West Wing.
“We expect the delegation to be on the road soon,” a White House official explained.
People familiar with the plans said Vance is now planning to depart Washington on Tuesday for the talks, which Trump claimed on Sunday would occur Monday evening.
But negotiations are now on track to commence Wednesday morning in Islamabad. In something of an understatement, the sources cautioned the situation remains “fluid.”
So, too, is the fate of the two-week ceasefire, which is set to expire soon. When, exactly, its deadline falls has also seemingly changed, based on a phone conversation Trump had with a reporter on Monday. He originally announced the ceasefire at 6:32 p.m. ET on April 7, putting the two-week mark on Tuesday evening in Washington.
But Trump told Bloomberg the truce ends “Wednesday evening Washington time,” allowing for an extra 24 hours of talks before he must choose whether make good on his threat to blow up Iranian bridges and power plants, a possible war crime. He added that it was “highly unlikely” that he would extend it further.
But he previously went back and forth on whether he would agree to extend the ceasefire. During one question-and-answer session with reporters last week, he was asked five separate times whether he would extend the ceasefire, and offered three different answers:
“If there’s no deal, fighting resumes,” he said definitively at one point. Later, he offered that he would offer an extension if necessary: “If we need to, I would do that.” In another answer, he suggested the question was moot, given the state of negotiations: “We’ll see. I don’t know that we’ll have to. Ideally, we won’t.”
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