Iran reviewing U.S. position on ending war; Trump willing to wait
Vehicles pass by a huge billboard supporting the Iran national football team in the upcoming 2026 World Cup, placed on a building in Enghelab Square in Tehran on May 18, 2026.
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Iran said on Thursday it was reviewing the Trump administration’s latest proposal to end the war after the US president said he was prepared to wait a few more days to “get the right answers” from Tehran.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said the Islamic Republic had received the views of the American side and was “studying them,” according to the state-run Nour News agency.
Baghaei stated that Pakistan, which hosted the peace talks between the USA and Iran last month, continues to mediate the talks between Tehran and Washington, adding that various communication rounds were carried out based on Iran’s original 14-article framework.
Pakistani Chief of General Staff Asim Munir is expected to travel to the Iranian capital on Thursday as part of ongoing mediation talks between Washington and Tehran, according to Iran’s ISNA news agency.
Talks to end the Iran war have made little progress in recent weeks; Both sides are locked in an uneasy stalemate, with Tehran blocking the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz and Washington blockading Iranian ports.
About 20 percent of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas passed through the Strait of Hormuz before the war, but shipping traffic has virtually stopped since U.S.- and Israeli-led attacks on Iran began on February 28.
“Believe me, if we don’t get the right answers, it will happen very quickly. We’re all ready to go,” President Donald Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews on Wednesday. he said.
Asked how long he was prepared to wait, Trump said: “It might take a few days, but it could go by real quick.”
Trump has delayed his deadlines, repeatedly warning of renewed attacks on Iran if the two sides fail to agree on a deal.
The US president said Tuesday he was “about an hour” away from deciding to attack Iran, then was persuaded to postpone the strike.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has warned against further attacks on the country. In a strongly worded statement released on Wednesday, the paramilitary group threatened to escalate the conflict in the Middle East “beyond the region” if the United States and Israel continue attacks against the country.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters as he returns to Washington, D.C., after delivering the commencement address to the U.S. Coast Guard Academy’s graduating class of 2026 after departing Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, May 20, 2026.
Kent Nishimura | Afp | Getty Images
Oil prices rose in afternoon trading in London as market participants closely followed the results of the US-Iran talks.
International Brent Crude futures were up 1.9% at $106.92 a barrel, reversing some of the previous session’s losses. WE West Texas Intermediate Futures were last trading at $100.59 per barrel, up 2.4%. Both contracts are up around 45% since the start of the Iran war.
