'Iran ceasefire is on life support, their proposal was a piece of garbage': Trump

Washington: US President Donald Trump on Monday said the ceasefire with Iran was “on life support” after sharply rejecting Tehran’s response to Washington’s peace proposal, calling it a “piece of garbage”.

Trump said he did not even finish reading Iran’s response before dismissing it.

“I would call it the weakest right now, after reading that piece of garbage they sent us, I didn’t even finish reading it,” Trump said while referring to the ceasefire efforts. “It’s on life support.”

Trump had already termed Iran’s response to the US proposal as “totally unacceptable” on Sunday, raising fears that the 10-week-long conflict could continue and further disrupt shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

Days earlier, Washington had floated a proposal aimed at reviving negotiations and ending the fighting. Iran, however, responded by demanding an end to hostilities across the region, including Lebanon, where Israel continues military operations against Iran-backed Hezbollah.

Tehran also called for compensation for war-related damages, lifting of US sanctions, an end to the American naval blockade and guarantees against future attacks. Iran further stressed its sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz and sought the removal of restrictions on its oil exports.

Trump also claimed that Iran was willing to hand over “the nuclear dust”, referring to its enriched uranium stockpile and asserted that only the US and China had the capability to retrieve it.