Trump Rejects Iranian Peace Proposal

U.S. President Donald Trump rejected Iran's latest peace proposal, stating that it included demands he could not accept. The proposal was delivered through Pakistani mediators, according to Iranian state news agency IRNA and multiple reports. Trump made the comments during a press gaggle on May 1, 2026, as negotiations remain stalled.

Trump described the Iranian leadership as confused and disjointed, attributing this to U.S. military success. He noted that Iran's military has been defeated and would take 20 years to rebuild if the U.S. withdrew now. A Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll showed 61 percent of Americans view Trump's use of military force against Iran as a mistake.

Military and Sanctions Developments The U.S.

Department of State imposed new sanctions on entities linked to Iranian petroleum exports, including China-based Qingdao Haiye Oil Terminal, accused of importing millions of barrels of sanctioned crude. Beijing rejected the measures as unlawful unilateral sanctions.

The U.S. also cleared over $8.6 billion in military sales to Israel, Qatar, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates. The U.S. Treasury Department added sanctions on three Iranian foreign currency exchange firms to disrupt Tehran's financial networks. Washington warned that ships paying tolls or fees to Iran for transiting the Strait of Hormuz could face U.S. sanctions.

This follows Iran's April 9 announcement of a toll on ships in the strait, prompting a U.S. blockade on April 12. The USS Gerald R Ford departed the Middle East after operations against Iran, leaving the USS Abraham Lincoln and USS George HW Bush among 20 U.S. ships in the region.

Mark Cancian of the Center for Strategic and International Studies stated that U.S. military capability remains unchanged, returning to a typical posture of two carrier groups. He added that the Ford's deployment, starting last June, had been extended twice, and the crew and ship needed rest.