Iran and the United States on May 3 remained far apart on a deal and struggled to find common ground in their proposals aimed at ending the war and resolving the Strait of Hormuz crisis, with the risk of a renewed outbreak of hostilities still looming as a significant threat.
Iran summitted an updated 14-point framework proposal to Washington on April 30, the sources announced on April 1.
According to the sources, the offer envisages a one-month negotiation period to facilitate the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, the lifting of the U.S. naval blockade and a permanent end to the conflict both in Iran and Lebanon.
The same sources added that, should an agreement be reached, an additional one-month period would be allocated to initiate negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program.
The new Iranian offer was a reply to a nine-point U.S. proposal. Washington had proposed a two-month ceasefire, while Tehran stressed that issues should be resolved within 30 days and that efforts should focus on ending the war rather than extending a truce.
However, U.S. President Donald Trump on April 2 said that he will review a new Iranian peace proposal, but cast doubt over its prospects as he left open the possibility of future attacks on Iran.
"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," Trump said on his Truth Social platform.
In a brief interview with reporters in West Palm Beach, Florida, he declined to specify what could trigger new military action against the Islamic republic.
"If they misbehave, if they do something bad, but right now, we'll see," he said. "But it's a possibility that could happen, certainly."
Mohammad Jafar Asadi, a senior figure in the Iranian military's central command, said "a renewed conflict between Iran and the United States is likely."
"Evidence has shown that the United States is not committed to any promises or agreements," he added, according to Fars news agency.
Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi told diplomats in Tehran "the ball is in the United States' court to choose the path of diplomacy or the continuation of a confrontational approach."
Iran, he said, was "prepared for both paths."
Oil prices are about 50 percent above pre-war levels.
The vice speaker of Iran's parliament, Ali Nikzad, said that under draft legislation being considered for managing the waterway, 30 percent of tolls collected would go towards military infrastructure, with the rest earmarked for "economic development."
"Managing the Strait of Hormuz is more important than acquiring nuclear weapons," he said.
