WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump declined Iran’s response to his peace framework to end hostilities in the war, calling it “totally unacceptable” in a May 10 social media post.
“I have just read the response from Iran’s so-called ‘Representatives.’ I don’t like it — TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Iran responded early in the morning of May 10 to Trump’s proposal to stop fighting and begin peace talks on an array of contentious issues, according to reporting from Iran’s IRNA news agency. Iran’s proposal included a demand for compensation for war damages and an emphasis on Iranian sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, state media said.
No details on Iran‘s response were immediately available, and the White House did not respond to a request for comment. U.S. IRNA has reported that Iran sent its reply to Trump’s proposal to Pakistan, which is mediating.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian appeared to reference the latest proposal in a post on X on May 10.
“We will never bow our heads before the enemy, and if talk of dialogue or negotiation arises, it does not mean surrender or retreat,” he said in the post, translated from its original Persian. “Rather, the goal is to uphold the rights of the Iranian nation and to defend national interests with resolute strength.”
The ongoing negotiations come as a fragile, month-old ceasefire between the two countries appears to be holding, even as naval forces traded fire near the Strait of Hormuz in recent days.
Gas prices appear to be holding steady amid expectations of a peace framework with Iran. Energy Secretary Chris Wright on May 10 didn’t rule out eliminating the gas tax to lower costs for American consumers, though he refused to predict whether prices could exceed $5 per gallon or dip back below $3 per gallon by the end of the year.
‘It’ll be over quickly’: Can Trump’s tough-guy approach work with Iran?
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Short-term proposal to pause hostilities, restart talks
The U.S. plan proposes a pause in fighting to hammer out a permanent peace plan, which has so far failed to gain traction among Iranian negotiators. The proposal also requires Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz for the month-long period – arguably one of Iran’s strongest tools of leverage against the United States in the ongoing war.
The plan was presented by the Trump administration as a temporary cessation in the fighting to start peace talks, according to multiple news reports. The United States and Iran failed to reach an agreement after peace talks in Islamabad, Pakistan, on April 12.
Following attempts to return to the negotiating tables faltered, though Trump has repeatedly extended his self-imposed ceasefire deadlines. The most recent back-and-forth over talks comes after a week of sporadic clashes in the Persian Gulf, amid a month-long ceasefire.
What does the proposal mean for gas prices?
The national average cost of gasoline rose last week to $4.55 a gallon, the highest price since 2022 when it reached $5.01, according to AAA. Crude oil prices dipped slightly amid negations between Iran and the Trump administration.
After the United States and Iran failed to agree on the peace proposal on May 10, oil prices jumped $3 a barrel. Brent crude, the international benchmark, prices climbed $3.18, or 3.14%, to $104.47, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate was at $98.51 a barrel, up $3.09, or 3.24%.
During a May 10 appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Wright was asked whether gas prices could again reach $5 a gallon or whether they would dip below $3 this year. He refused to make a prediction.
“When we start to get a free flow of traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, energy prices will come down,” he said.
The energy secretary suggested officials were open to suspending the federal gas tax to bring down prices for consumers.
“All measures that can be taken to lower the price of at the pump and lower the prices for Americans, this administration is in support of,” he said.
