The fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran appears increasingly unstable after President Donald Trump rejected Tehran’s latest peace proposal, describing the agreement as being on “massive life support” and dismissing Iran’s counter-offer as “garbage.” The sharp exchange has deepened uncertainty over efforts to prevent a wider conflict in West Asia.
Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned that the country’s armed forces were “prepared to deliver a lesson-giving response to any aggression,” while Tehran defended its proposal as “reasonable and generous.” Iranian officials are demanding sanctions relief, an end to the US naval blockade, and recognition of Iranian sovereignty claims linked to the Strait of Hormuz. Washington, however, continues to insist on a complete halt to Iran’s nuclear programme ,a demand Tehran has repeatedly rejected.
The diplomatic deadlock has unsettled global energy markets, with Brent crude rising above 100 dollars a barrel ahead of Trump’s planned visit to China later this week, where talks with President Xi Jinping are expected to influence the next phase of diplomacy. Regional tensions are also rising elsewhere. Kuwait says it detained four suspects after what it described as an attempted infiltration of Bubiyan Island by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard earlier this month. Bahrain has meanwhile sentenced more than two dozen people on espionage-related charges linked to Iran.
In Lebanon, Israeli operations against Hezbollah targets continue, while Hezbollah has launched fresh drone attacks on Israeli positions. On the UAE, a significant security disclosure emerged as US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz confirmed that Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system was deployed to the UAE and used to intercept Iranian missiles targeting the country during the conflict – the first official government confirmation of the deployment. Israel and the UAE, which signed a peace agreement in 2020, say their bilateral partnership is currently the closest it has ever been.
