Trump Rejects Iran Peace Proposal, Threatens to 'Blast Them Away'

President Donald Trump said Friday he is “not satisfied” with a new Iranian peace proposal and warned the United States would “blast them away” if negotiations collapse, keeping the Strait of Hormuz closure and its knock-on oil shock in force heading into the weekend.

Iran submitted the proposal on April 30 through Pakistani diplomatic channels. Trump, speaking to reporters at the White House, rejected the terms outright, saying he could not agree to what Tehran was asking and leaving open the prospect of renewed or intensified military action.

What Iran Is Demanding

Tehran’s core conditions center on two linked issues: recognition of its right to continue uranium enrichment and a full lifting of the US naval blockade before any Hormuz transit resumes. Iran has made clear it will not reopen the strait while American warships enforce the cordon, which it characterizes as an act of economic war.

The blockade, declared April 13, is costing Iran an estimated $435 million per day in lost oil export revenue, according to figures Trump himself cited Friday. In an unusual rhetorical turn, Trump described his own Navy’s enforcement posture as acting “like pirates,” though he did not indicate any change in policy. The remark appeared aimed at characterizing the blockade’s severity rather than criticizing it.

War Powers Clock and the “Terminated” Letter

The confrontation crossed a procedural milestone on May 1 when the War Powers Resolution’s 60-day clock elapsed. Under the statute, a president must obtain congressional authorization or withdraw forces within 60 days of notifying Congress of hostilities. Trump sidestepped a potential constitutional standoff by sending Congress a letter declaring that hostilities had been “terminated” through the ceasefire framework, a formulation that preserves the naval blockade while technically claiming the active conflict phase is over.

The legal maneuver has drawn skepticism from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle who argue the blockade itself constitutes ongoing hostilities. No congressional vote on authorization has been scheduled.

Nuclear Enrichment: The Core Sticking Point

Beyond the blockade, Iran’s insistence on retaining enrichment rights represents the deepest structural obstacle to a deal. The International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed earlier this week that Iran’s uranium stockpile at Isfahan remains intact, a finding that strengthens Tehran’s negotiating position — the material exists, dismantlement has not begun, and Iran has leverage as long as that remains true.

The Trump administration has not publicly stated what enrichment ceiling, if any, it would accept. Previous US positions have ranged from zero enrichment to permitting low-level civilian enrichment under stringent verification. The gap between those poles and Iran’s demand for unqualified enrichment rights is wide.

Oil Markets on Edge

Brent crude held near $108 per barrel and WTI near $101 on Friday as traders parsed the failed talks. Both benchmarks have remained elevated since the Hormuz closure began, reflecting the roughly 17 to 20 percent of global seaborne oil that normally transits the strait. There is no near-term market expectation of a breakthrough based on current positioning.

The impasse compounds pressure from multiple directions. The US has continued to tighten the financial cordon around Iranian oil exports: earlier this week, the Treasury’s OFAC issued a sanctions alert warning that any payment to Iran for Hormuz transit access — including cryptocurrency transfers — exposes both US and non-US persons to penalties. Separately, the US sanctioned Chinese terminal operator Qingdao Haiye and petrochemical firm Hengli for processing Iranian crude, the twelfth such China-linked enforcement action since the blockade began.

IRGC Escalation Warnings

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps has simultaneously signaled it is not without options if talks fail entirely. The IRGC issued a formal warning this week threatening “long, painful strikes” on US positions in the Gulf if American military pressure continues. The statement did not specify targets or timelines, and such warnings have been issued periodically throughout the crisis without leading to direct IRGC action against US forces. Analysts caution, however, that sustained economic pressure at the $435 million per day rate increases the domestic pressure on Iranian leadership to demonstrate a harder response.

What Happens Next

Both sides appear to be managing a standoff rather than resolving one. Trump’s rejection of the Pakistani-mediated proposal does not formally close the channel — Islamabad has indicated it remains willing to continue facilitating — but it resets the clock on any near-term deal.

The administration faces its own constraints. With the War Powers letter sent and Congress not actively moving on authorization, the executive branch has bought political time domestically. But the blockade’s economic cost falls globally: shipping insurance rates through alternative routes around the Cape of Good Hope have climbed sharply, and refining margins in Asia remain compressed by reduced Iranian supply.

For Iran, the calculation is whether the daily revenue loss and accumulated domestic pressure exceed the value of maintaining leverage over enrichment rights. That calculus has not shifted yet. Until it does, Hormuz stays closed and oil stays elevated.

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Coverage of the Hormuz crisis continues. See related reporting on IAEA’s Isfahan stockpile assessment and US sanctions on Chinese oil buyers.