President Donald Trump warned the Iranian regime on Wednesday that the U.S. would resume strikes “at a much higher level and intensity” if a proposed deal is not accepted. The ultimatum comes as both sides reportedly near a deal on a 14-point agreement presented by the White House.
“Assuming Iran agrees to give what has been agreed to, which is, perhaps, a big assumption, the already legendary Epic Fury will be at an end, and the highly effective Blockade will allow the Hormuz Strait to be OPEN TO ALL, including Iran,” President Trump posted on Truth Social. “If they don’t agree, the bombing starts, and it will be, sadly, at a much higher level and intensity than it was before.”
President Trump gave Tehran one week to respond to his proposal, Fox News reported Wednesday evening.
Earlier on Wednesday, Axios reported that the U.S. was “getting close to an agreement with Iran” aimed at “end[ing] the war,” and launching “detailed nuclear negotiations.”
The report claimed that the White House was willing to make significant concessions. “Among other provisions, the deal would involve Iran committing to a moratorium on nuclear enrichment, the U.S. agreeing to lift its sanctions and release billions in frozen Iranian funds, and both sides lifting restrictions around transit through the Strait of Hormuz,” the news website continued.
Tehran is considering the U.S. proposal, the regime-run media claimed. “An American proposal to end the war with Iran is still being considered, an Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson tells Iranian news agency ISNA,” the BBC reported Wednesday afternoon. “In an interview with ISNA, Esmail Baghaei says that Iran is sharing its views on the US proposal with Pakistani mediators.”
Highlighting infighting within the regime, Iran’s powerful National Security Council reportedly rejected the U.S. proposal. “A spokesperson of Iran’s National Security Council says the contents of a reported one-page memorandum aimed at ending the war reads ‘more like an American wish list than reality,'” Sky News (UK) reported around the same time.
The movement in the talks comes after President Trump, on Tuesday, paused the Project Freedom, a naval mission to restore freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.
Writing on Truth Social on Tuesday, President Trump said that “Great Progress has been made toward a Complete and Final Agreement with Representatives of Iran.” The Project Freedom “will be paused for a short period of time to see whether or not the Agreement can be finalized and signed,” he concluded.
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