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Published : 04 May 2026, 01:27 AM
Pulse of the War: May 3
Trump sceptical over new Iran proposal: US President Donald Trump has said he will review Iran’s latest plan but doubts about its acceptability. He said he had been briefed on the concept and was awaiting full details. Iran has submitted a 14-point response, with differences emerging over ceasefire timelines and whether talks should focus on ending the war or extending a truce. (Source: CNN)
Iran reviewing US response to 14-point plan: Iran has confirmed it received Washington’s response via Pakistan and is currently assessing it. Officials say the proposal remains focused on ending the war, with nuclear negotiations not part of the current phase. (Source: CNN)
Expert flags ‘non-starter’ demands in Iran plan: Iran’s latest proposal contains several conditions unlikely to be accepted by Washington, according to analyst Trita Parsi. He said some demands are “non-starters”, reflecting a broader pattern of maximalist positions on both sides during negotiations. (Source: CNN)
Phased proposal on nuclear, sanctions, security: Tehran’s plan includes a return to limited uranium enrichment under a “zero-storage principle”, mutual restraint from attacks, and unwillingness to dismantle nuclear infrastructure. It also proposes gradual sanctions relief and a longer-term regional security framework involving West Asia. (Source: CNN)
Iran parliament weighs tighter Hormuz controls: Lawmakers are set to consider restrictions on vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, including banning Israeli ships and requiring war reparations from “hostile countries”, allowing the rest to pass with prior approval. (Source: CNN)
Israel get new fighter squadrons: Israel has approved plans to purchase two new fighter jet squadrons, including F-35 and F-15IA aircraft, in a deal worth billions of dollars. Officials say the decision reflects operational lessons from the conflict with Iran. (Source: CNN)
Iran strike site to become museum: Authorities in Iran plan to preserve a bombed section of a university in Isfahan as a museum documenting the impact of US-Israeli strikes. A new building will be constructed to replace the damaged facilities. (Source: CNN)
Iran said on Sunday it had received a US response to its latest offer for peace talks, a day after President Donald Trump said he would probably reject the Iranian proposal because "they have not paid a big enough price".
Iranian state media reported that Washington had conveyed its response to Iran's 14-point proposal via Pakistan, and that Tehran was now reviewing it. There was no immediate confirmation from Washington or Islamabad of the US response.
"At this stage, we do not have nuclear negotiations," state media quoted Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei as saying, an apparent reference to Iran's proposal to set aside talks on nuclear issues until after the war ends and the foes agree to lift opposing blockades of Gulf shipping.
On Saturday, Trump said that he had yet to review the exact wording of the Iranian peace proposal, but that he was likely to reject it.
"I will soon be reviewing the plan that Iran has just sent to us, but can’t imagine that it would be acceptable in that they have not yet paid a big enough price for what they have done to Humanity, and the World, over the last 47 years," he wrote on social media.
Strait Still Shut
The United States and Israel suspended their bombing campaign against Iran four weeks ago, and US and Iranian officials held one round of talks. But attempts to set up further meetings have so far failed.
Iran handed over its latest proposal on Thursday, and a senior Iranian official confirmed on Saturday that Tehran envisions ending the war and resolving the shipping standoff first, while leaving talks on Iran's nuclear programme for later.
Though Trump initially said on Friday that he was not satisfied with the Iranian proposal, he said on Saturday he was still looking at it.
"They told me about the concept of the deal. They're going to give me the exact wording now," he told reporters. Asked if he might restart strikes on Iran, Trump replied: "I don't want to say that. I mean, I can’t tell that to a reporter. If they misbehave, if they do something bad, right now we’ll see. But it’s a possibility that could happen."
Iran’s Proposal Vs Washington’s Demands
The proposal to delay talks on nuclear issues until a later phase would appear at odds with Washington's repeated demand that Iran accept stringent restrictions on its nuclear programme before the war can end.
Washington wants Tehran to give up its stockpile of more than 400 kg (900 pounds) of highly enriched uranium, which the United States says could be used to make a bomb. Iran says its nuclear programme is peaceful, though it is willing to discuss some curbs in return for the lifting of sanctions, as it had accepted in a 2015 deal that Trump abandoned.
While saying repeatedly he is in no hurry, Trump is under domestic pressure to break Iran's hold on the Strait of Hormuz, which has choked off 20 percent of the world's oil and gas supplies and pushed up US gasoline prices. Trump's Republican Party faces the risk of a voter backlash over higher prices in midterm congressional elections in November.
Iranian media said Tehran's 14-point proposal includes withdrawing US forces from nearby areas, lifting the blockade, releasing frozen assets, paying compensation, lifting sanctions, ending the war on all fronts including Lebanon and creating a new control mechanism for the strait.
Iran has been blocking nearly all shipping from the Gulf apart from its own for more than two months. Last month, the US imposed its own blockade of ships from Iranian ports.
Speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss confidential diplomacy, the senior Iranian official said Tehran believed its latest proposal to shelve nuclear talks for a later stage was a significant shift aimed at facilitating an agreement.
"Under this framework, negotiations over the more complicated nuclear issue have been moved to the final stage to create a more conducive atmosphere," the official said.
Israel Orders Lebanon Evacuations
On Sunday, Israel ordered thousands of Lebanese to leave villages in southern Lebanon, an escalation of a war between Israel and Iran's Hezbollah allies there that has run in parallel to the Iran war and could further complicate wider peace efforts.
Iran has said talks with Washington cannot resume unless a ceasefire also holds in Lebanon, which Israel invaded in March to attack Hezbollah after the Iranian-backed Lebanese group fired across the border in support of Tehran.
Lebanon and Israel agreed a separate truce last month, but fighting has continued, though on a smaller scale. The Israeli military issued an urgent warning on Sunday to residents of 11 towns and villages in Lebanon's south, urging them to evacuate their homes and move at least 1,000 metres (3,300 feet) away to open areas.
The military said it was conducting operations against Hezbollah following what it described as a violation of the ceasefire, warning that anyone near Hezbollah fighters or facilities could be at risk.
