Iran’s chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, has warned the United States to accept Tehran’s 14-point peace proposal aimed at ending the Middle East war or risk “one failure after another” as negotiations between both countries remain stalled.
The warning came after US President Donald Trump reportedly rejected Iran’s latest counteroffer and described the fragile ceasefire reached last month as being on “life support.”
Peace talks between Washington and Tehran have remained deadlocked following an earlier round of negotiations that failed to secure a breakthrough over the ongoing conflict and Iran’s nuclear programme.
In a post shared on X, Ghalibaf insisted that Washington must recognise what he described as the “rights of the Iranian people” if it genuinely seeks peace.
“There is no alternative but to accept the rights of the Iranian people as laid out in the 14-point proposal. Any other approach will be completely inconclusive; nothing but one failure after another,” Ghalibaf said.
He further warned that delays in reaching an agreement would increase the cost of the conflict for Americans.
“The longer they drag their feet, the more American taxpayers will pay for it,” he added.
Iran has maintained a hardline stance throughout the conflict, with military officials repeatedly warning they are prepared to retaliate against any renewed US military action.
The tensions have also disrupted traffic through the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, a major global oil shipping route, triggering concerns in international markets. At the same time, the United States has reportedly intensified pressure on Tehran through a naval blockade targeting Iranian ports.
While details of the latest US proposal remain unclear, reports indicate that Washington presented a one-page memorandum of understanding designed to halt hostilities and create a framework for negotiations over Iran’s nuclear activities.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry said its response demanded a complete end to the conflict across all fronts, including in Lebanon, an end to the US naval blockade, and the release of Iranian assets frozen abroad under long-standing sanctions.
However, Tehran did not specify what concessions it was willing to offer in exchange.
Meanwhile, tensions over Iran’s uranium enrichment programme continue to threaten diplomatic effect.
A spokesman for Iran’s parliamentary national security commission, Ebrahim Rezaei, said lawmakers could consider enriching uranium to weapons-grade levels if fighting resumes.
“One of Iran’s options in the event of another attack could be 90 percent enrichment. We will examine it in parliament,” Rezaei wrote on X.
Iran currently possesses a substantial stockpile of uranium enriched to 60 percent purity, while approximately 90 percent enrichment is generally considered necessary for the production of a nuclear weapon.
The country’s enriched uranium stockpile remains one of the biggest sticking points in negotiations with the United States, which has demanded that the material be moved out of Iran.
Tehran, however, has rejected calls to transfer its uranium abroad and continues to insist on what it describes as its legitimate right to peaceful nuclear energy, although officials say the level of enrichment remains open to negotiation.
