Blockade, frozen assets, enriched uranium: what the Iranian peace proposal swept aside by Donald Trump contains

The American president brushed aside Tehran’s peace conditions, without however specifying why he considers the opposing proposal “totally unacceptable”. The regime only says it defends its “legitimate rights”.

It was with a lot of capital letters that Donald Trump responded to the Iranian peace proposal on Sunday. “I have just read the response of the so-called representatives from Iran. I don’t like it – IT’S TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE! “, the American president was indignant in his usual style on Truth Social.

“Iran has been leading the United States and the rest of the world for 47 years,” he wrote in a previous message. The Iranians “make fun of our country which has now regained its greatness but they will not laugh much longer! “, he promised, without saying more about the contours of the Iranian proposal.

“The only thing we have demanded is the legitimate rights of Iran,” summarized Esmaïl Baghaï, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, during a weekly press briefing. Tehran is demanding in particular “the end of the war in the region”, the lifting of the American blockade of Iranian ports and “the release of assets belonging to the Iranian people, which have been unjustly blocked for years”, he added.

In the Strait of Hormuz, Iran offers in exchange a gradual resumption of commercial navigation. According to the Iranian Tasnim news agency, the regime’s response provides that Tehran continues to supervise maritime traffic.

Since the start of the conflict on February 28, Tehran has set up a system of payment of rights of passage for ships crossing the strait, through which a fifth of the oil consumed in the world normally passes. Restrictions on traffic in this strategic passage have caused the price of hydrocarbons to skyrocket and disrupted the world economy.

In addition to the release of assets, Tehran is asking for a lifting of sanctions on Iranian oil sales, adds Tasnim, without specifying the compensation offered by Iran.

The nuclear issue still crucial

Tehran, however, does not wish to comment at this stage on the nuclear issue, which “we will deal with when the time comes,” said ministry spokesperson Esmaïl Baghaï. But according to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), which cites anonymous sources, Iran is proposing to initiate negotiations on this aspect “in the next 30 days”. It proposes to “dilute” part of its highly enriched uranium and transfer the rest to a “third country”, indicates the WSJ.

According to the daily, Iran would agree to suspend its uranium enrichment program, but for a shorter period than the 20 years proposed by the United States. And Tehran, which denies wanting to acquire an atomic bomb, would refuse to dismantle its nuclear installations.

According to Tasnim, who cites an anonymous source, the American newspaper’s information “does not reflect reality”, particularly regarding enriched uranium. Tasnim does not provide further details.

Washington, for its part, has communicated little on the details of its proposal. According to some media, it contains a one-page memorandum of understanding to end the fighting and establish a framework for negotiations on the nuclear issue.

“No sign of capitulation”

Israel and the United States bombed Iran in June 2025 during the 12-day war which “destroyed the regime’s nuclear program at Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan”, according to Donald Trump. But Washington and many countries suspect Iran of still wanting to acquire atomic weapons, which it denies, defending its right to civilian nuclear power.

“There are still nuclear materials – enriched uranium – which must be removed from Iran” and “enrichment sites to be dismantled,” Benjamin Netanyahu told the American channel CBS on Sunday.

The Israeli Prime Minister also says he hopes for the end of Iranian power, which would mean the fall, “like a scaffolding”, according to him, of Iran’s proxies in Yemen, Gaza and Lebanon. Namely the Houthis, Hamas and Hezbollah. The war, which left thousands dead, mainly in Iran and Lebanon, “has accomplished a lot, but it is not over,” warned the Israeli official.

“Tehran shows no signs of capitulation” and “calculates that rising global oil prices and product shortages will force (Donald) Trump to end the conflict without obtaining the major concessions, particularly nuclear, that he is seeking,” analyzes the Soufan Center, an American think tank.