President Trump says the US will be Iran’s “worst nightmare” if it doesn’t agree to a peace plan and repeats that Tehran is “begging” for a deal.Special envoy Steve Witkoff confirms the US has sent a 15-point peace plan to Iran, but does not provide further details
An Iranian official earlier told state media in their response to the proposal that Tehran has a “natural and legal right” to control the Strait of Hormuz
It comes after Israel says it killed an Iranian navy chief overseeing the blockade of the strait, one of the world’s busiest oil shipping channels
Earlier an influential global policy group said the blockade was “raising costs, weighing on demand and adding to inflationary pressures” across the globe
Attacks on Israel, Iran and Lebanon continue, while two people have been killed by debris from an intercepted missile in Abu Dhabi, thought to be from Iran.
During that cabinet meeting (see our last few posts), Donald Trump again insisted that Iran should negotiate a deal to end the war while also warning that the US will keep “blowing them away” if Tehran doesn’t come to the negotiating table.
Trump’s remarks raised new questions about the state of indirect talks between the US and Iran.
The president insisted, as he has for days, that Iran wants to reach a deal to end the war. But Iranian officials have said the country isn’t negotiating with the US.
On Wednesday, Iran also dismissed a US peace plan that reportedly demanded the regime give up its nuclear programme and limit its ballistic missiles. At the cabinet meeting, Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy, confirmed that the US presented Iran with a 15-point peace plan. Witkoff didn’t offer details on the proposal.
Trump didn’t mention Iran’s initial rejection of the plan, or his decision to deploy ground troops to the Middle East – he simply argued the ball was in Iran’s court and warned the regime would face dire consequences if it doesn’t agree to a ceasefire.
“If they don’t, we’re their worst nightmare,” Trump said. “We’ll just keep blowing them away. Unimpeded, unstopped.”
Left unsaid was how the US plans to bring Iran to the negotiating table – or why a new wave of attacks will change Tehran’s calculus if nearly four weeks of war hasn’t.
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