Administration

Trump says Iran ceasefire is on ‘massive life support’

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by Julia Manchester - 05/11/26 12:18 PM ET

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by Julia Manchester - 05/11/26 12:18 PM ET

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President Trump described the U.S. ceasefire with Iran as being on “life support” in the Oval Office on Monday after he dismissed Tehran’s counteroffer on nuclear talks.

“It’s unbelievably weak,” Trump told reporters when asked if the ceasefire with Iran remains in place for the time being.

“I would say the ceasefire is on massive life support … when the doctor walks in and says, ‘Sir, your loved one has approximately a 1 percent chance of living,’” he continued.

Trump’s comments come after Iran laid out its demands in a counteroffer sent to the U.S. over the weekend. The New York Times reported the demands included war reparations, Iranian sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz and an end to U.S. sanctions.

The president shot down the counteroffer on Sunday, calling it “totally unacceptable.”

In the Oval Office on Monday, Trump referred to the counteroffer as a “piece of garbage” and said he did not even finish reading it.

Iran is also looking to separate nuclear talks from the negotiations to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, while the Trump administration wants nuclear commitments up front.

Additionally, the U.S. is pressuring Iran to drop its claim on the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has floated a long-term tolling system for global shipping through the passage.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said Tehran wanted to focus on “what’s urgent,” pointing to “an end to the war in all its forms, including in Lebanon,” The Wall Street Journal reported Monday.

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