By GloriaOgbonna
President Donald Trump on Sunday forcefully rejected Iran’s latest response to a U.S. proposal aimed at ending the escalating standoff between Washington and Tehran, calling the regime’s reply “TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE” and warning that Iran would “be laughing no longer” if it continued to resist key American demands.
The response from Tehran, delivered through Pakistani intermediaries after nearly 10 days of internal deliberation, came amid heightened tensions across the Gulf region.
According to multiple reports, the U.S. proposal had focused on halting hostilities, restoring maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, and initiating a roughly 30-day negotiation window to address Iran’s nuclear program — including uranium enrichment and its growing stockpile of highly enriched uranium. Trump has consistently maintained that any final agreement must permanently bar Iran 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 post, the president sharply escalated his rhetoric, accusing Tehran of decades-long deception and strategic delay in its dealings with Washington and the international community.
“Iran has been playing games with the United States, and the rest of the World, for 47 years (DELAY, DELAY, DELAY!),” Trump wrote, suggesting that past administrations allowed the regime to stall negotiations while advancing its regional ambitions.
Trump also criticized former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden, arguing their policies strengthened Iran economically and politically. He pointed to the Obama administration’s $1.7 billion cash transfer to Tehran — delivered alongside sanctions relief — as a turning point that he claims revitalized the regime.
“They finally found the greatest SUCKER of them all,” Trump wrote, accusing prior leadership of enabling Iran’s influence across the Middle East.
The president further accused Tehran of supporting militant proxy groups, targeting U.S. forces with roadside bombs, suppressing domestic protests, and destabilizing American allies. “For 47 years the Iranians have been ‘tapping’ us along, keeping us waiting, killing our people… They will be laughing no longer!” he warned.
In a brief phone interview with Axios following Tehran’s response, Trump reiterated his dissatisfaction, describing Iran’s reply as inappropriate and insufficient.
“I don’t like their letter. It’s inappropriate. I don’t like their response,” he said.
While Iranian state media portrayed the regime’s position as “positive and realistic,” Western reports indicated Tehran rejected several core American demands. Among them: dismantling key nuclear facilities, surrendering long-term enrichment capabilities, and agreeing to a lengthy suspension — reportedly around 20 years — of uranium enrichment activities.
Instead, Iran is said to have proposed a significantly shorter moratorium. Reports also suggest Tehran offered to dilute part of its highly enriched uranium stockpile and transfer the remainder to a third country, but only under conditions that would require its return if negotiations collapse or if the United States withdraws from a future agreement.
Q: Is it accurate to say you think the combat operations in Iran are over and done?
Trump: No, I didn’t say that. I said they are defeated, but that doesn’t mean they’re done. We could go in for two more weeks and do every single target.
We’ve done probably 70% of the targets.… pic.twitter.com/1x3ujw0wZg
— Clash Report (@clashreport) May 10, 2026
Regime-linked media outlets pushed back against aspects of Western reporting while confirming that Iran’s proposal heavily emphasized sanctions relief, the unfreezing of Iranian assets, lifting the American naval blockade, ending hostilities, and preserving Iranian control over the Strait of Hormuz — a vital global energy corridor through which a significant percentage of the world’s oil supply passes.
The Hezbollah-affiliated outlet Al Mayadeen additionally reported that Tehran demanded an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon and a full halt to what Iranian officials described as the “siege” imposed on Iran.
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz reinforced what he described as a firm American red line during an appearance on Fox News Sunday.
“President Trump has been clear they will never have a nuclear weapon and they cannot hold the world’s economies hostage,” Waltz said.
The diplomatic friction unfolded as regional security tensions once again spiked. The United Arab Emirates reported intercepting two drones launched from Iran, while Kuwait said several hostile drones entered its airspace. A cargo vessel near Qatar was reportedly struck by a drone, igniting a fire aboard the ship, according to regional maritime reports.
Iranian Revolutionary Guard-linked figures issued renewed threats regarding the Strait of Hormuz, warning that any U.S. attack on Iranian oil tankers or commercial vessels would prompt “harsh” retaliation against American bases and allied shipping assets.
Trump has repeatedly suggested that military options remain on the table if diplomacy fails. Last week, he floated the potential revival of “Project Freedom,” an American-led maritime security operation designed to escort commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz. He warned that any renewed initiative would be conducted at a significantly expanded level if negotiations collapse.
“We may go back to Project Freedom if things don’t happen,” Trump told reporters. “But it’ll be Project Freedom Plus.”
In an interview aired Sunday on Full Measure, Trump declared that Iran had already suffered extensive military degradation.
“Well, they’re militarily defeated,” he said. “They have no Navy. They have no Air Force. They have no anti-aircraft weaponry. They have no radar.”
He added that further strikes could be executed if necessary.
“We could go in for two more weeks and do every single target,” Trump warned.
The president also vowed that the United States would ultimately prevent Iran from safeguarding or relocating its enriched uranium stockpile.
“We’ll get that at some point,” he 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 echoed concerns that Iran’s nuclear infrastructure remains partially intact, emphasizing that dismantling enrichment sites and securing nuclear material remain unfinished objectives.
“There are still enrichment sites that have to be dismantled,” Netanyahu said in a preview clip from a 60 Minutes interview. “There’s still nuclear material, enriched uranium, that has to be taken out.”
Meanwhile, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian adopted a defiant posture even as diplomatic efforts continue.
“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.
We will never bow down to the enemy, and if any talk of dialogue or negotiation arises, it does not mean surrender or retreat. Rather, the goal is to secure the rights of the Iranian nation and to defend national interests with strength.
– Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian pic.twitter.com/66kgmITMsl
— Press TV 🔻 (@PressTV) May 10, 2026
As negotiations hang in the balance, both sides appear entrenched — Washington insisting on sweeping nuclear concessions and Tehran demanding sanctions relief and strategic guarantees. With maritime security, regional stability, and nuclear nonproliferation at stake, the coming days could determine whether diplomacy prevails or whether the standoff escalates into a broader confrontation across the Gulf.
Source Breitbart
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