Iran US Latest News | Iran FM Official Denies Proposal Sent To US Contains 'Excessive Demands'

Iran and the United States reached an impasse again Monday over how to end their war while their ceasefire grew increasingly shaky. “We did not demand any concessions — the only thing we demanded was Iran’s legitimate rights," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said Monday. “The American side still insists on its one-sided views and unreasonable demands.” The two sides exchanged fire in recent days, ships and the UAE being targeted, and fighting flared between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. The volatility could tip the Middle East back into open warfare and prolong the worldwide energy crisis sparked by the conflict, with Iran’s chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz and America’s blockade of Iranian ports still in place. U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to use a trip this week to China to urge President Xi Jinping to pressure Iran into making concessions and end the current limbo. Beijing is the biggest buyer of the Islamic Republic’s sanctioned crude oil, giving it leverage. Baghaei mentioned in his press briefing that the proposal includes an open and safe passage at the Strait of Hormuz, and it also includes the ceasefire in Lebanon with Israel and the entire region. Trump said Sunday that Iran’s response to his latest proposal was “TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE!” Ending the blockade before discussing Iran’s nuclear program would eliminate a major point of leverage for Trump in the talks. In the meantime, the standoff over the strait, which is a key transit point for the world's oil and natural gas exports, has sent fuel prices skyrocketing and rattled world markets. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who launched the war with Trump on Feb. 28, insisted that the conflict was “not over,” telling CBS’ “60 Minutes” in an interview that aired Sunday that a critical goal is getting the nuclear material out of Iran. If that can't be accomplished with negotiations, Netanyahu said that Israel and the U.S. agree “we can reengage them militarily.”