The U.S. rejected Iran’s latest peace proposal Monday, with Axios citing a senior U.S. official who dismissed the updated offer as “insufficient for a deal.”
The report, from Axios journalist Barak Ravid, comes as fresh speculation swirls that President Donald Trump could move toward renewed military operations this week if the Strait of Hormuz is not quickly reopened. The waterway is a major chokepoint for global oil shipments.
“U.S. officials say President Trump wants a deal to end the war, but is considering resuming it due to Iran’s rejection of many of his demands and refusal to make meaningful concessions on its nuclear program,” Ravid reported, citing U.S. officials.
Trump sharpened his public posture over the weekend. He warned Sunday that “the clock is ticking” for Iran to make a deal and threatened “there won’t be anything left of them” if they don’t do so “FAST.”
Axios also reported Sunday that Trump will meet with top national security officials in the White House Situation Room to weigh next steps, including the possibility of resuming the war.
🚨 JUST IN: TRUMP SLAPS DOWN INSANE IRANIAN DEAL AGAIN — Axios
Negotiations might continue “THROUGH BOMBS” if they keep this up, an official said
The mullahs sent ANOTHER laughable proposal to President Trump, and he just said ‘NO’ because Iran refuses to cave
47 is set to… pic.twitter.com/0bCrMVHVai
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) May 18, 2026
Ravid wrote that the senior U.S. official framed the moment in blunt terms: “The senior U.S. official said that if Iran doesn’t shift its position, the U.S. will have to continue the negotiations ‘through bombs.’”
The updated Iranian proposal was delivered to the U.S. via Pakistani intermediaries Sunday night, according to Axios. The senior U.S. official described the changes as minimal, saying the new version included “only token improvements on the last version.”
“We are really not making a lot of progress. We are at a very serious place today. The pressure is on them to be responsive in the right way,” the senior U.S. official told Ravid of the negotiations.
Axios quoted the official urging Tehran to go beyond cosmetic tweaks.
“It’s time for the Iranians to throw bit of candy out. We need some real, sturdy, and granular conversation [regarding the nuclear program]. If that’s not gonna happen, we will have a conversation through bombs, which will be a shame,” Axios quoted the source as adding.
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