- US President Trump called the Iran ceasefire "on massive life support" after a rejected peace proposal
- Trump is considering restarting Project Freedom to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz
- A White House meeting will discuss possible new strikes and military options against Tehran
US President Donald Trump has said the ceasefire with Iran is on "massive life support" as he dismissed Tehran's latest peace proposals as 'stupid'. The American commander-in-chief said he was considering restarting his 'Project Freedom' to help escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz in an attempt to end the Iranian blockade of the vital waterway, while denying he was under any domestic pressure to reach a deal.
Referring to the ceasefire in force for over a month, Trump said, "I would call it the weakest, right now, after reading that piece of garbage they sent us -- I didn't even finish reading it."
"I would say the ceasefire is on massive life support, where the doctor walks in and says: 'Sir, your loved one has approximately a 1 per cent chance of living.'"
Trump's Iran Options
Trump is also reportedly considering resuming military action against Tehran as negotiations with the country remain deadlocked. According to an Axios report, Trump is meeting with his national security team on Monday to discuss fresh strikes. Vice President JD Vance, White House envoy Steve Witkoff, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defence Mark Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine, CIA director John Ratcliffe and other senior officials are also expected to participate in the meeting, US officials, privy to the details, told the American publication.
Per the report, the US might resume the bombing campaign and strike 25 per cent of targets that were initially identified but weren't hit so far.
The Benjamin Netanyahu government in Israel also reportedly wants Trump to order a special forces operation to secure Iran's enriched uranium stockpile. But Israeli officials believe Trump might be hesitant to order such an operation because it is highly risky.
The other option that Trump is considering is resuming "Project Freedom," which was suspended last week after Saudi Arabia and other Gulf nations reportedly stopped the US military from using their port. The issue was ironed out after a phone call between Trump and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia's de facto leader, The Wall Street Journal reported last week.
US officials believe that Trump might be leaning toward restarting some form of military action against Iran to increase pressure on the regime to force a deal desirable to Washington.
"He will tune them up a bit," an official said.
"I think we all know where this is going," the second joined in.
The Standoff
Trump wants a permanent peace deal to end the war, but officials said that Tehran's rejection of many of the US demands and refusal to make concessions regarding its nuclear programme has put the military option back on the table. In recent days, the US leader has threatened several times to bomb Iranian infrastructure facilities if diplomacy fails.
Trump had waited for over a week for Tehran's response to its draft proposal for ending the war. Sources said the White House was even optimistic that Iran's positions would show further progress toward a deal.
But on Sunday, Iran's state TV reported that Tehran had rejected the US proposal, which it said "meant Iran's surrender to Trump's excessive demands".
Trump rejected Iran's response, saying, "I don't like it. It is inappropriate."
Trump had earlier said that Tehran had agreed to relinquish its stockpile of enriched uranium to the US. But, he said on Sunday, Iranians apparently reversed course after their response omitted any mention of the issue.
China Trip
Before Trump makes any big move in Iran, he might discuss that matter with Beijing during his trip to China this week. The president is expected to leave on Wednesday and return on Friday.
Officials said they think Trump would not order military action against Iran before he returns from China.
They believe the president would likely discuss the Iran war with Chinese president Xi Jinping. China, one of Tehran's biggest allies, has been urging Iran to reach a deal with the US on ending the war and curbing its nuclear programme, so far with no success.
