Trump dismisses Iran's proposal as 'stupid', warns ceasefire 'on life support' as talks stall

US President Donald Trump on Monday sharply rejected Iran's latest peace proposal, warned that the fragile ceasefire between the two countries was "on life support", and lashed out at Kurdish intermediaries, painting a picture of a diplomatic process fraying on multiple fronts.

Speaking at a White House event to announce a new federal fertility benefit regulation, Trump told reporters that generals were waiting to brief him on the war in Iran, before training his fire across several fronts.

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Trump warned the ceasefire was "on life support", coming days after an exchange of hostilities around the Strait of Hormuz that highlighted the fragility of the truce the two sides reached more than a month ago.

On Iran's negotiating posture, Trump was equally blunt. "Iran has a stupid proposal. Obama and Biden would have taken it," he said. He also complained that Tehran kept walking back agreed positions mid-negotiation. "Iran agrees with us, and then they go back," he said. He added that Iran's latest letter to Washington had not included any commitment to abandoning nuclear weapons. "Iran did not mention not pursuing nuclear weapons in the letter," he said.

On the nuclear question itself, Trump was unambiguous: "I have a great plan, and the plan is that they can't have any nuclear weapons." He said Iranian negotiators had offered to let the US access Iran's nuclear material, but only if Washington physically removed it from the country, an offer Trump appeared to reject.

Also Read: Trump calls Iran's response to US peace proposal 'unacceptable'

He also turned on the Kurds, a US-allied group Washington had reportedly used to try to arm Iranian dissidents ahead of the war. "I am very disappointed in the Kurds," Trump said. He said the Kurds "did not deliver the weapons", adding: "I'm not happy with the delivery of the weapons. I'm not thrilled with it, but a small amount of weapons were sent and we'll see who has them." Multiple Iranian Kurdish opposition groups denied the claim, with a senior official from the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran calling the allegations "baseless" and saying the group had not received any weapons.

Trump also sought to project strength on the broader war. "They have zero ships, no air force. Their leaders have been killed at all levels," he said, dismissing the idea that Tehran had any leverage to outlast him. "They think I will get tired of it or that I'll face pressure. We already have a victory."

Trump had rejected Iran's counterproposal to end the 10-week war over the weekend, calling it "totally unacceptable", while Tehran vowed it would "never bow."