President Donald Trump has expressed skepticism about the current ceasefire with Iran, describing it as being on “life support.” He revealed that the U.S. is considering the resumption of naval escorts for ships navigating the Strait of Hormuz. This move is aimed at countering what the U.S. sees as a blockade by Iran on this critical maritime route.
Trump dismissed Iran’s recent peace proposals, labeling them as “stupid,” and firmly denied facing any internal pressure to secure a deal. Reflecting on the ceasefire, which has been in effect since April 7, he remarked, “I would call it the weakest, right now, after reading that piece of garbage they sent us – I didn’t even finish reading it.” He further elaborated, comparing the ceasefire’s frailty to a patient with only a “1% chance of living.”
In recent developments, the United States handed Iran a set of conditions aimed at de-escalating the conflict, primarily focusing on limiting Tehran’s nuclear ambitions. However, Iran’s counter-proposals were swiftly rejected by Trump. The U.S. president had previously halted “Project Freedom,” a plan to provide military escorts for oil tankers traversing the strait, shortly after its inception. This decision was made ostensibly to allow time for Iran to respond to U.S. peace efforts, but also faced opposition from Saudi Arabia, which refused to support what it considered an escalatory action.
The situation intensified further when oil prices surged following Iran’s declaration that no further negotiations on ending the Strait of Hormuz blockade would occur unless their terms were accepted by the U.S. Maj Gen Mohammad Ali Jafari, a former commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, emphasized that talks would not proceed unless several Iranian conditions were met. These include ending the conflict on all fronts, lifting sanctions, releasing blocked funds, compensating for war damages, and recognizing Iran’s sovereignty over the strait.