US President Donald Trump rejected Iran’s latest peace proposal on Friday, dismissing it at the opening line over nuclear terms, as he departed Beijing following a two-day summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One at Beijing Capital International Airport, Trump made clear that any Iranian proposal referencing continued nuclear activity would not advance. “If they have any nuclear of any form, I don’t read the rest,” he said.
Trump accused Iran of backtracking on earlier assurances to surrender its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, expressing frustration with the level of guarantee Tehran was prepared to offer. He said Iranian negotiators had previously indicated the uranium could be retrieved, but that commitment did not appear in the latest submission.
Despite the rejection, Trump signalled flexibility on at least one front. He indicated he would consider a 20-year suspension of uranium enrichment as a workable compromise, provided Iran delivered a “real” commitment, an apparent shift from his earlier demand for a permanent halt to the program.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, speaking from New Delhi where he attended a summit of the Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS) foreign ministers, offered a different picture of where negotiations stand. He said Washington had resumed contact after Trump’s earlier rejection, with US officials signalling a willingness to continue dialogue. On the Strait of Hormuz, Araghchi claimed all vessels except those at war with Tehran could transit the waterway if they coordinated with Iran’s navy, though he acknowledged the situation remained complicated.
Xi told Trump he largely agrees on the dangers of Iran acquiring nuclear weapons. Trump, however, said he did not press his Chinese counterpart to force Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. China’s foreign ministry separately declared there was “no point” in continuing the conflict, urging a diplomatic resolution and warning of the war’s growing strain on global energy markets and trade.
Trump told reporters the ceasefire was implemented largely at Pakistan’s request, saying he personally would not have favoured it. He credited the US blockade for holding the current pause in fighting and stopped short of ruling out a return to military action.
