Iran's chief negotiator: US has no alternative but to accept our conditions

2026-05-12 12:33:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Iran's chief negotiator, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, said the United States "has no alternative" but to accept Tehran's latest counterproposal to end the war.

"There is no alternative but to accept the right of the Iranian people as outlined in the 14-point proposal," Baqer, who is also the speaker of the Iranian Parliament, said in X on May 12.

"Any other approach will be completely uninclusive, nothing more than a new failure."

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei said during a press conference on May 11 that Tehran's response - which was sent to the US through the intermediary of Pakistan on May 10 - includes stopping the war, lifting the US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, releasing Iran's frozen assets and "establishing security in the region and Lebanon."

US President Donald Trump has called Tehran's counter-proposal "totally unacceptable".

"The longer they drag their feet, the more American taxpayers will pay for this issue," Baqer added.

A day earlier, President Trump also spoke about the ceasefire with Iran that has been in effect since April 8, saying that the agreement was on the verge of collapse, adding that he is considering the possibility of resuming the escort of ships in the Strait of Hormuz, as he aims to achieve "total victory" in the war that began on February 28.

Speaking to reporters at the White House on May 11, Trump said the ceasefire is "extremely weak."

“I would say this is one of the weakest [ceasefires] right now, it’s on life support,” he said. “I would say the ceasefire is on massive life support.”

The US leader later said in an interview with Fox News that he was considering resuming the operation to escort ships through the strait, although a final decision on the matter has not yet been made.

The ship escort operation began on May 6, but was called off less than two days later.

"We're going to have a total victory," Trump said, adding that Tehran thinks "I'm going to get tired of this. I'm going to get bored or I'm going to be under some pressure. But, there's no pressure." /REL