President Trump said on social media that Iran’s response to a U.S. ceasefire proposal was “TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE!”
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Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
President Trump on Sunday rejected Iran’s response to the latest U.S. proposal to end the war.
Trump, in a post on social media, wrote he didn’t like Iran’s response and called it “TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE!” Earlier on Sunday, Trump accused Iran in another social media post of “playing games with the United States, and the rest of the World.”
Iran’s response included demands of an end to war on all fronts, the lifting of U.S. sanctions on the sale of Iranian oil, lifting the U.S. blockade on Iranian ports, and the unfreezing of assets, according to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency.
Iran delivered its response to Pakistani mediators on Sunday, according to the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency.
IRNA, citing a source familiar with the matter, also said, “the current phase of negotiations is focused exclusively on the cessation of hostilities in the region.”
The Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting also said that the Iranian “response given to the U.S. remains in line with our previous positions, including readiness to continue the ceasefire in exchange for the reciprocal opening of the Strait of Hormuz and advancing negotiations focused on ending the war in the region.”
The U.S. gave various reasons for launching the war that began on Feb. 28, including ending Iran’s nuclear program, reducing its missile capabilities and forcing it to end support for regional proxies, such as Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Since Iran responded by closing the Strait of Hormuz to almost all shipping, the U.S. has imposed its own blockade on Iranian ports, cutting off a key route for global oil shipments and causing an economic shockwave around the world that has led to higher fuel prices.