Tehran has delivered its response to Washingtons terms for ending the war via Pakistani mediators

US President Donald Trump has called Iran's response to Washington's latest proposal for ending the war "totally unacceptable," after Tehran insisted it would not surrender the strategic leverage it has gained around the Strait of Hormuz.

The contents of Iran's response have not been made public, but according to US media reports, Tehran's counterproposal focused on ending the war and securing guarantees that hostilities would not resume, while offering none of the nuclear concessions sought by Washington.

"I have just read the response from Iran's so-called 'Representatives.' I don't like it - TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE!" Trump wrote on Truth Social on Sunday. He previously told Axios that the Iranian reply was "inappropriate," but did not elaborate.

Iran's response allegedly called for a broader end to hostilities across multiple fronts, including Lebanon, and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz before broader nuclear talks, according to AP. Trump, however, has continued to demand immediate restrictions on Iran's nuclear program and has repeatedly threatened to resume large-scale military action if Tehran refuses to accept US terms.

Trump has repeatedly extended the ceasefire, arguing that Iran's leadership is divided and unable to produce a unified response. Iranian officials, however, have publicly rejected Washington's terms as an ultimatum, accusing the US of trying to turn negotiations into surrender talks after failing to achieve its stated goals on the battlefield.

Tehran has also made clear that it views control over the Strait of Hormuz as a central bargaining chip, with Mohammad Mokhber, a top adviser to Iran's supreme leader, comparing the waterway's strategic value to an "atomic bomb" and vowing that Iran would not "forfeit the gains of this war."

The latest exchange comes after weeks of fragile diplomacy and intermittent clashes around the Strait of Hormuz, where the US has enforced a naval blockade and Iran has sought to assert control over the strategic waterway.

US officials had hoped Iran's long-awaited response would show progress after a 10-day delay, Axios reported. An Iranian source, however, dismissed Trump's dissatisfaction, saying Tehran's proposal was aimed at protecting Iranian rights rather than pleasing the US president.

The diplomatic setback also comes as tensions rise over possible European involvement in the Gulf. Euractiv reported earlier that France and Britain had been discussing a multinational mission to secure navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, while Tehran has warned that any such deployment would draw an immediate response.

(RT.com)