Iran dismisses Trump’s peace plan as ‘deceptive,’ as U.S. deploys more troops to Mideast

WASHINGTON— Trump administration made an offer to Iran 15-item ceasefire plan It aims to temporarily halt the war in the Middle East, with the Pentagon simultaneously ordering thousands of Marines, paratroopers and a warship to the region.

The plan presented to Iran’s leadership on Tuesday included a 30-day ceasefire and sanctions relief against Iran in exchange for a list of U.S. demands, according to the Associated Press and other media outlets.

But Iran rejected the proposal on Wednesday, criticizing the White House’s terms as “extreme” and far from reality, according to Iranian state media.

These conditions included limiting Tehran’s missile stockpiles, permanently ending its nuclear program, support for regional militias including Hezbollah and a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, according to various news outlets citing Pakistani officials who mediated the negotiations.

Many of these provisions are considered non-starters for Iran, which has long viewed its missile stockpile and regional alliances as central to national security.

Iranian officials responded with defiance and skepticism.

“Iran will end the war when its conditions are met and when it decides,” an Iranian official told state media. “Not when Trump predicted the outcome of this.”

The official outlined the Islamic Republic’s conditions for ending the conflict, which include “a cessation of attacks and assassinations,” an end to hostilities on all fronts, enforceable guarantees that hostilities will not continue, compensation for war damages, and formal recognition of Iran’s sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that Iran is not interested in a ceasefire but in a comprehensive “end of the war” on all fronts, including the lifting of sanctions and the removal of guarantees that would allow Iran to conduct peaceful nuclear enrichment for energy and medical applications.

Iranian officials told state media they believed the Trump administration’s diplomatic efforts were deceptive.

“You have reached a stage where you are negotiating with yourself,” Iranian military spokesman Ibrahim Zulfakari said in a televised speech on Wednesday. “Don’t call your defeat a deal.

Since the beginning of the conflict, Iranian leaders have expressed skepticism about any diplomatic talks with the Trump administration, citing pre-war diplomatic efforts as evidence that they were “duped.” The Islamic Republic says it made clear in those talks that it had no interest in developing nuclear weapons, but Trump launched his military campaign anyway.

There are conflicting reports in the media regarding Tehran’s exact stance. Statements by Iranian officials and state-affiliated media outlets leave open the possibility that some elements of the proposal are still under review, while some reports frame this reaction as an outright rejection.

Iran’s response also contradicts President Trump’s insistence that talks are progressing.

“We had very, very strong discussions,” he said Sunday in Florida. “We have points of agreement, we have important points of agreement. I can say that almost all points of agreement will meet at some point very, very soon.”

The fact that Israel, which continues to conduct routine bombing campaigns on Iran, is excluded from the talks further exacerbates the problem.

Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu talked about the peace agreement in a phone call on Tuesday. In a televised speech, Netanyahu said Trump “believes there is an opportunity” to achieve U.S.-Israeli war objectives with a deal that “will protect our vital interests.”

“At the same time, we continue attacks in both Iran and Lebanon,” Netanyahu said. “We will protect our vital interests in any scenario.”

The talks are being facilitated by Pakistan, with support from Egypt and Türkiye, as they struggle to contain the conflict that has killed more than 2,400 people, further destabilized the war-torn region and disrupted global oil markets.

Pentagon as Washington tries to bring a diplomatic end to the conflict 2,000 more soldiers deployed From the 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East. An additional 5,000 Marines and thousands of sailors have departed for the region, where another 50,000 Marines are already stationed.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) told reporters Wednesday that the deployment “sends a signal to Iran that they need to act,” but said the American side denied any impending escalation. Instead, Johnson said he believed “Operation Epic Rage is almost over.”

The operation, now in its fourth week, began with a series of intense air strikes that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and dozens of senior officials. Since then, the United States and Israel have carried out more than 9,000 attacks targeting Iran’s military infrastructure and nuclear program.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday that the war department would continue to “negotiate with bombs” while the president’s diplomatic envoys seek a peace deal.

“The President has made clear that you will not have nuclear weapons. The War Department agrees,” Hegseth told reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday. “Our job is to make that happen, and that’s why we’re keeping our hand on the gas.”

Iran’s retaliatory attacks have hit infrastructure in the Gulf and halted energy production and transportation in the region; This has raised global fears that supply shortages will continue. Meanwhile, Israel expanded its operations in Iran and sought to expand its borders into Lebanon.

Oil prices, which rose above $120 a barrel early in the conflict, have fallen sharply this week on hopes that a ceasefire could ease supply shortages.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Wednesday demanded an end to the conflict, which he said “goes beyond what even its leaders can imagine.”

He called on the United States and Israel to end the war “as human suffering deepens, civilian casualties mount, and the global economic impact becomes increasingly devastating.”

Times writers Ana Ceballos in Washington, D.C., and Nabih Bulos in Beirut contributed to this report.