Iran war live: Trump says no ‘early’ end to war, unhappy with Tehran offer

Iran war: Trump rejects Tehran cease-fire bid, vows prolonged campaign

Muhammad Asghar | GlobalBeat

President Donald Trump ruled out a quick halt to the U.S.-led air war against Iran, telling reporters late Thursday that Tehran’s latest diplomatic offer “doesn’t come close” to Washington’s demands.

The blunt dismissal, delivered on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews, quelled speculation that back-channel talks in Oman might produce a breakthrough before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan ends next week.

Trump spoke hours after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi floated a partial freeze on uranium enrichment in exchange for an immediate cessation of U.S. and Israeli strikes. The proposal, first reported by Al Jazeera, marked Tehran’s first public concession since American bombers began hitting strategic sites across Iran on March 18. Fighting has killed at least 1,400 people on both sides and sent global oil prices surging past $105 a barrel.

“I want this war over quickly, but not at any price,” the president said, gesturing toward a waiting helicopter. “Their offer falls short on every major point: no full enrichment halt, no ballistic-missile freeze, no regional de-escalation. We’re not signing up for an early end that leaves them weeks from a bomb.”

National Security Adviser Mike Waltz later confirmed that the White House had relayed a formal rejection through Swiss intermediaries who handle U.S. interests in Tehran. Waltz told reporters the administration would settle for nothing less than “permanent, verifiable dismantlement” of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure and an end to Revolutionary Guard support for proxy militias in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen.

Iran’s mission to the United Nations called the U.S. position “maximalist” and warned that continued bombing would “inevitably expand the theatre of conflict to the entire Persian Gulf.” The statement, e-mailed shortly after midnight Tehran time, said Iran retains “all options” including further missile launches against U.S. bases and energy installations.

Satellite imagery released Thursday by Planet Labs showed fresh craters around the Natanz enrichment hall and the Kharg Island oil terminal, both struck in what the Pentagon described as “round-the-clock” operations involving B-2 stealth bombers launched from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri. Defense officials said 212 sorties were flown in the past 48 hours, the heaviest tempo since the opening salvo.

Pentagon press secretary Sean Parnell said American forces had degraded Iran’s air-defense network “to the point that we can now operate with near-impunity above 15,000 feet.” One drone operator, speaking on condition of anonymity, told GlobalBeat that Iranian radar crews “simply shut down” after repeated hits on power grids feeding their systems.

On the ground, fighting moved closer to Tehran. Iraqi security officials reported that U.S. Marines seized the Iranian border town of Mehran after a dawn assault that left at least 37 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps fighters dead. Video geolocated by the Associated Press showed American M1A1 tanks parked beside a billboard that reads “Welcome to Ilam Province” in Persian script. A Marine spokesman confirmed “limited incursions” but denied broader occupation plans.

European Union foreign-policy chief Kaja Kallas convened an emergency video call of the bloc’s 27 foreign ministers, after which she announced that the EU will impose its own sanctions on any Iranian entity supplying Russia with ballistic missiles. Western intelligence agencies say Tehran has already delivered 400 short-range missiles to Moscow, prompting fears the Ukraine war could merge with the Middle East conflagration.

The economic toll rippled outward. Brent crude spiked another 4.2 percent on Friday morning in Asia, touching $108.71, while shipping giant Maersk said it will suspend all container service through the Strait of Hormuz until “open-sea insurance becomes economically viable again.” Roughly 20 percent of the world’s seaborne oil transits the narrow waterway.

Inside Iran, public anger is rising. Protesters in the central city of Isfahan chanted “Death to the dictator” for a third consecutive night, according to amateur clips verified by Human Rights Activists in Iran. The group said security forces fired live rounds, killing at least 2 demonstrators and wounding dozens. Internet monitoring service NetBlocks reported a near-total mobile shutdown across Isfahan Province starting at 10:30 p.m. local time.

Israel, which has carried out parallel strikes on Iran’s proxy networks, kept to the sidelines of Thursday’s diplomacy. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Israel’s Channel 12 that Jerusalem “supports the American conditions fully” and will not negotiate separately with Tehran. Israeli warplanes hit Hezbollah arms depots in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley overnight, killing 11 fighters, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.

Washington’s rejection leaves the war on a potentially longer trajectory. Pentagon planners have briefed Congress that a ground campaign inside Iran “could require 250,000 troops,” according to a classified memo leaked to the New York Times. While Trump has so far ruled out a full-scale invasion, he reiterated that “all options remain on the table” if Iran refuses to capitulate.

Background

The United States and Iran have teetered on the brink of open war since Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear accord in 2018 and reimposed sanctions that crushed Iran’s oil exports. Tehran responded by breaching enrichment limits step-by-step, reaching 84 percent purity—just shy of weapons grade—by late 2025. Israeli sabotage and assassinations of Iranian scientists further escalated tensions, culminating in a January 2026 drone attack on the U.S. consulate in Erbil that killed 6 American contractors. Trump blamed the Revolutionary Guard and launched the current bombing campaign on March 18.

Previous diplomatic efforts collapsed quickly. Last November, indirect talks in Muscat stalled over Iran’s demand that Washington lift sanctions before any enrichment rollback. The Biden administration had offered to release $10 billion in frozen assets for humanitarian goods, but Congress blocked the move. Trump revived the freeze after taking office in January, vowing “zero enrichment, zero sanctions relief until we see bricks and mortar dismantled.”

What’s Next

Omani mediators say they will float a revised proposal early next week that includes an EU-administered fuel swap and on-site inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency. Yet with Ramadan ending around April 28 and both militaries on high alert, diplomats privately concede the window for a cease-fire may not open until one side inflicts clearer battlefield defeat. U.S. Central Command has already drafted options to hit Tehran’s fortified Fordow enrichment site if talks collapse again.

Whether Iran escalates or bends will hinge on Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who convened the national-security council on Friday morning for only the third time since war began. Trump’s refusal signals that Washington believes time is on its side as bombers grind down Iranian infrastructure. The strategy carries domestic risk: gasoline prices in America have jumped 38 cents in two weeks, and Senate Democrats unveiled a bill requiring congressional approval for any further Middle East troop deployments. For now, jets continue to roar over the Persian Gulf, and diplomats wait for the next shattered radar dish to translate into leverage at the table.