On Tuesday, May 12, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf issued a firm ultimatum to the United States, demanding the acceptance of Tehran’s 14-point peace proposal or the prospect of continued “failure.”
This defiant message follows US President Donald Trump’s rejection of Iran’s latest counteroffer, which the U.S. president slammed as “TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE!”, stating that a fragile ceasefire in place since April 8 was on “
Ghalibaf asserted that Washington must acknowledge the “rights” of the Iranian people to resolve the more than two months of conflict, warning in a post on X that “There is no alternative but to accept the rights of the Iranian people as laid out in the 14-point proposal.
Any other approach will be completely inconclusive; nothing but one failure after another.” He added that “The longer they drag their feet, the more American taxpayers will pay for it.”
While peace talks remain deadlocked after failing to produce a breakthrough last month, Tehran remains firm in its refusal to back down, with military officials warning they are prepared to respond to any renewed U.S. attack.
The ongoing friction centers on several critical issues that have rattled global markets and restricted traffic through the vital Strait of Hormuz.
Iran’s foreign ministry stated its response called for “an end to the war in the region,” ending the U.S. naval blockade, and the “release of assets belonging to the Iranian people, which have for years been unjustly trapped in foreign banks.”