Trump's reaction and details of the Iranian plan
The US side has not yet officially confirmed that it has responded to Tehran. However, President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he would “soon review the plan that Iran has just sent us, but I cannot imagine that it would be acceptable.” According to Iranian media, Tehran’s 14-point plan calls for Washington to withdraw forces from near Iranian borders, end the naval blockade of Iranian ports and cease all hostilities, including the Israeli offensive in Lebanon.
The plan also calls for a deal within 30 days, with an emphasis on “ending the war,” not just extending the existing ceasefire. Referring to the proposal, Trump wrote on the Truth Social network on Saturday: “They haven’t paid a high enough price for what they’ve done to humanity and the world over the last 47 years.” Speaking to reporters in Palm Beach, Florida, the same day, he said he had not yet studied the plan in detail. “I’ve been briefed on the concept of the deal,” he said. “They’re going to give me the exact text now.”
Possibility of new attacks
Asked by the BBC about the possibility of renewed military strikes on targets inside Iran, Trump said it was “a possibility.” “If they behave badly. If they do something bad,” he said. “But we’ll see.” He seemed reluctant to withdraw from the conflict altogether, saying, “We’re not leaving” and “We’re going to end it so that nobody has to come back in two or five years.”
Iranian state media reported that Tehran's latest proposal was a response to the US's nine-point plan, which called for a two-month ceasefire.
The issue of congressional approval
Trump sent a letter to members of the US Congress on Friday, claiming that the conflict has “ended” since a ceasefire took effect on April 8, even though Iran continues to pose a “significant” threat to the US and its forces in the region. He insisted that the current blockade of Iranian ports was not a continuation of the conflict. “It’s a very friendly blockade,” he said. “Nobody is even challenging it.”
Trump also argues that he does not need to seek legislative approval for war because the ceasefire has stopped the clock on that obligation. By law, a US president must obtain congressional approval within 60 days of notifying lawmakers of military action or cease hostilities. Friday marked the 60th day since Trump formally notified Congress on March 2 of the US strikes on Iran, which began on February 28.
The nuclear program and discontent in Congress
In a series of public statements, Trump has also reiterated his slogan that “Iran must never have a nuclear weapon.” Iran has repeatedly denied that it is trying to develop a bomb, insisting that its program is exclusively peaceful, even though it is the only non-nuclear-weapons state to have enriched uranium to levels close to weapons-grade. Trump’s latest statements come as frustration grows among U.S. lawmakers, including many in his own Republican Party, over what many see as a costly and complex war with unclear goals.
Republican votes
Republican Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri has called on the Trump administration to begin withdrawing troops from the conflict, arguing that continuing the war requires congressional approval. “I don’t really want to do that,” Hawley said. “I want to end it.”
Another Republican senator, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, a prominent Trump critic, expressed doubts about the success of the operation and possible negotiations.
“While the administration may be calling for negotiations, the events on the ground and the rhetoric from Tehran say otherwise,” she said. “But if the US withdraws abruptly and prematurely, it is almost certain that we will leave their key capabilities intact. And those are not risks I am willing to take. But the answer is not a blank check for another endless war,” Murkowski added.
