Trump says ceasefire ‘on life support’ after rejecting Iranian counterproposal

President Donald Trump on May 11 rejected Iran’s latest response to a U.S.-backed proposal aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz, warning that the fragile ceasefire between the two nations is now on “life support.”

Trump, speaking in the Oval Office, said the ceasefire with Iran has roughly “a 1% chance of living,” describing the situation as dire while stopping short of saying he would immediately resume military action. 

The impasse follows Iran’s counterproposal, delivered via Pakistani mediators, which sought concessions including war reparations, an end to sanctions, the release of frozen assets, and recognition of Iranian sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, as Zeale News reported. 

Trump called Iran’s leadership “very dishonorable people” and criticized how long it took for them to respond to the U.S. proposal.

The President also spoke against Kurdish groups, accusing them of failing to deliver U.S.-supplied weapons intended for Iranian protesters amid efforts to challenge the Iranian regime.

Joe Kent, former director of the National Counterterrorism Center, responded to Trump on X and said that the President should blame Israeli officials, not the Kurdish groups, for misleading him with unrealistic expectations that arming Iranian dissidents would quickly topple the regime, calling the plan “wishful thinking” that drew the U.S. deeper into the conflict.

Project Freedom Plus 

Speaking to reporters at the White House South Lawn, Trump said he is considering reinstating the short-lived naval operation known as Project Freedom — this time in a potentially expanded form he dubbed “Project Freedom Plus” — to escort ships through the critical waterway. 

Project Freedom was launched May 4 to help guide vessels through the strait amid Iran’s blockade, but Trump paused it days later, citing progress in negotiations. The broader U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports remains in effect.