Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has issued a 30-day ultimatum to the United States, demanding the removal of a naval blockade on Iranian ports and warning that Washington faces a choice between a difficult military escalation or an unfavourable agreement.
The ultimatum accompanied a 14-point peace proposal submitted by Tehran to Washington on May 2, 2026, through Pakistani intermediaries. The plan represents Iran’s most comprehensive diplomatic offering since the conflict began, and was framed as a direct counter to a nine-point framework previously tabled by the United States.
Key demands in Iran’s proposal include guarantees against future military aggression, the withdrawal of US forces from Iran’s periphery, the lifting of the naval blockade on Iranian ports, the release of frozen Iranian assets, an end to hostilities in Lebanon, a new mechanism governing the Strait of Hormuz, and a structured approach to Iran’s nuclear programme. On the nuclear question, Tehran proposed a 15-year freeze on uranium enrichment, after which it would resume enrichment to 3.6 percent, while offering to transfer its existing stockpile of highly enriched uranium to third countries.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baghaei, said the proposal seeks a comprehensive and permanent resolution to the conflict rather than a temporary ceasefire, and called for broader confidence-building measures between both countries.
Trump initially indicated the plan was under review but said he was “not satisfied” with it, adding that there were elements he could not agree to. In a post on Truth Social, he wrote that he could not “imagine” the proposal being acceptable, suggesting Iran had not yet paid a sufficient price for what he described as its conduct over the past 47 years. By Sunday, May 3, he told Israeli media the plan was “not good for us.” Iran confirmed it subsequently received a US response to the proposal through Pakistan and said it was reviewing that response.
In a parallel development on May 4, Trump announced a naval escort mission for ships stranded in the Strait of Hormuz, describing it as a humanitarian gesture. Iran has not yet confirmed its involvement in the arrangement. The head of the Iranian parliament’s national security commission, Ebrahim Azizi, warned that any US interference in the maritime regime of the strait would constitute a ceasefire violation.
The standoff follows a fragile ceasefire brokered by Pakistan that took effect on April 8, ending nearly six weeks of fighting that began when the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28, including attacks that resulted in the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Iran responded by restricting access to the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly one fifth of the world’s daily oil supply passes. Washington imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports in response, a measure that has remained in place despite the ceasefire.
Negotiations since the truce have been marked by persistent disagreements. The US has insisted that Tehran must halt uranium enrichment activities and lift its restrictions on the strait before a lasting agreement can take hold. Iran, facing an economy the International Monetary Fund projects will shrink by 6.1 percent in 2026, with inflation running close to 69 percent, is pressing for a definitive end to the conflict rather than extended ceasefire arrangements.
US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff confirmed that Washington and Tehran remain “in conversation,” but analysts caution that the gap between both sides on the two core issues of uranium enrichment and Strait access remains wide. With the IRGC on full combat readiness and the ceasefire continuing to fray along multiple fronts, including Lebanon, the next thirty days represent a critical test of whether diplomacy can hold.
