Iran-US rhetoric intensifies after ceasefire proposal falters

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Iranian military is ready to deliver a “decisive response” to any attack on the country, Tehran’s parliament speaker and chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said on Monday, shortly after US President Donald Trump stated the ceasefire with Iran was “on life support” and rejected Tehran’s response to Washington’s proposal to end the war.

“Our armed forces are ready to deliver a decisive response to any aggression,” Ghalibaf said, adding that “wrong strategies and wrong decisions will always lead to the wrong outcome, something the whole world has already learned.”
“We are prepared for every option. They will be surprised,” the senior Iranian official added.

The remarks came shortly after the US President told reporters on Monday that “the ceasefire is on massive life support, where the doctor walks in and says, 'Sir, your loved one has approximately a one percent chance of living.”

A day earlier, Trump rejected Iran’s response to a US proposal aimed at ending months of conflict. “I have just read the response from Iran’s so-called ‘Representatives.’ I don’t like it - TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE!” he wrote on his Truth Social platform.

Iranian state media had reported on Sunday that Tehran formally delivered its response to the latest American proposal through Pakistani mediators.
“The response of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the latest US proposed text for ending the war was sent today through a Pakistani mediator,” the state-run Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) said.

The outlet added that the proposed framework would focus on “ending the war in the region” during the current phase of negotiations.

For his part, Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday that Tehran’s response was “reasonable,” noting that “we did not demand any concessions. The only thing we have demanded is Iran’s legitimate rights.”
He added that “safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz” and “establishing peace and security across the entire region” were among the key points included in Iran’s response.

However, The Wall Street Journal reported that Iran’s latest response failed to “resolve the U.S. demand for commitments in advance on the fate of Iran’s nuclear program and its stockpile of highly enriched uranium.”

The newspaper added that Iran is instead “proposing an end to the fighting and a gradual opening of the Strait of Hormuz to commercial traffic as the U.S. lifts its blockade on Iranian ships and ports.”