Trump says Iran ceasefire near collapse after ‘stupid proposal’ from Tehran; will meet with generals

President Trump said Monday the ceasefire with Iran is “on life support” and he will meet with a large group of U.S. military advisers to discuss the next steps.

Mr. Trump assessed the fragile truce one day after calling Tehran’s latest peace proposal unacceptable.

“After reading that piece of garbage they sent us,” the president said, “I would say the ceasefire is on massive life support.”

Mr. Trump, speaking at an Oval Office meeting on maternal healthcare, also disclosed that he would be sitting down with military leaders, raising the specter of renewed fighting.

“I’m being waited on by a large group of generals,” Mr. Trump said, adding wryly that the meeting had to do “with the absolutely lovely country of Iran.”

The U.S. and Israel launched a military operation against Iran on Feb. 28 with the central purpose of keeping Tehran from getting a nuclear weapon.

SEE ALSO: Iran calls terms of its response to U.S. deal ‘reasonable and generous’ after Trump’s rejection

The president was not explicit about his next steps on Monday, though he repeated his central demand.

“The plan is they cannot have a nuclear weapon,” Mr. Trump said. “And they didn’t say that in their letter.”

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Tehran’s proposal reportedly included demands to end all attacks on Iran, lift the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports and unfreeze many of Iran’s assets that have been restricted by sanctions.

Iran said Monday it was being “reasonable and generous.”

“The Islamic republic has proven that it is a responsible power in the region. We are not bullies; we stand against bullies,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said.

The U.S. had reportedly sought a 30-day ceasefire during which time the two sides could find a comprehensive solution to the conflict.

Washington’s offer was delivered after an intense flare-up in fighting in the Strait of Hormuz early last week, as the U.S. attempted to guide commercial ships through the waterway.

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U.S. negotiators have remained mostly consistent in their demands across nearly a year of negotiations with Iran: Tehran cannot obtain a nuclear weapon, it must eliminate its uranium enrichment program and cut its support for regional proxy terror groups.

Mr. Baghaei said that the Trump administration’s demands have been consistently unreasonable and implied that, despite the U.S.’s forceful demands on the nuclear front, Iran’s enrichment program is still up for discussion.

“We will discuss that when the time comes,” he said.

Mr. Trump is squeezing Iran, economically, with a blockade of its ports while negotiations drag out.

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Iran is causing economic upheaval by clamping down on maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital chokepoint for oil exports from the Middle East.

The price of Brent crude oil, an international benchmark, increased roughly 2% to $103 per barrel.

The national average price of a gallon of gas stood at $4.52 on Monday, according to the AAA motor club.

Prices have inched down a bit in recent days, but remain 52% higher than when the war started.

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Saudi Arabia’s national oil company, Aramco, recently reported a 25% jump in first-quarter profits due to high demand within its East-West pipeline.

The pipeline, which is running at maximum capacity, runs across Saudi lands to the Red Sea, avoiding the Strait of Hormuz.

• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.

• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.