Washington rejects the updated Iranian offer and threatens to resume negotiations through “bombs”

The US administration rejected an updated Iranian proposal to end the ongoing conflict, considering it “insufficient” and does not carry any substantive progress, at a time when the White House threatens to resume military operations and escalate strikes if Tehran does not show real flexibility, especially with regard to its nuclear program.

Details of the Iranian offer

Axios quoted a high-ranking American official as saying that Tehran presented its counter-proposal on Sunday night through Pakistani mediators. However, Washington believed that the offer included only “formal” improvements. It merely added general statements confirming Iran’s commitment not to seek to possess a nuclear weapon, but it was completely devoid of any practical or detailed commitments regarding suspending uranium enrichment or handing over its current stock of highly enriched uranium.

In a related context, the American official denied what was reported by the Iranian official media about Washington’s prior agreement to lift some oil sanctions, stressing that no relief from the sanctions would be provided “for free” without concrete and reciprocal steps from the Iranian side.

Waving the military option

In light of this stalemate, US President Donald Trump is heading to hold a crucial meeting with senior national security leaders in the White House Situations Room on Tuesday, to discuss the available military options.

Trump had warned in statements he made on Sunday, before Washington received the latest Iranian offer, that “time is running out,” threatening Tehran to launch “much stronger” strikes if it did not respond to American demands.

For his part, the American official issued a strong warning, saying: “We are in a very dangerous situation today… It is time for the Iranians to make real concessions. We need a strong and detailed dialogue regarding the nuclear program, and if that does not happen, we will dialogue through bombs, which will be unfortunate.”

Psychological warfare and indirect negotiations

These developments come at a time when there are no direct negotiations on the essence of the agreement, as communication between the two countries is limited to indirect talks aimed at building an initial consensus on the general framework of the negotiations.

In the midst of these tensions, the two sides exchange accusations and psychological pressures. While Washington considers that Tehran’s submission of a new proposal – despite its modest nature – reflects a real Iranian fear of imminent American military action, the Iranian leadership insists that Trump is the one who is thirsty for concluding an agreement, stressing that the time factor is on its side.