U.S. Media: The White House Believes Iran's Latest Proposal Lacks Substantial Improvement and Considers Resuming Military Action

On May 18, Xinhua News Agency reported from Washington (reporters Huang Qiang and Xu Jianmei) that, according to senior U.S. officials cited by the Axios news website on the 18th, the White House believes that Iran's latest proposal has not made substantial improvements and is insufficient as a basis for reaching an agreement. President Trump is considering restarting military action.

The report stated that Iran submitted a new draft agreement aimed at ending hostilities to the U.S. through Pakistan on the evening of the 17th, but compared to the previous version, it only made some "symbolic adjustments" and did not make any substantial concessions regarding its nuclear program. A senior U.S. official stated that the negotiations are currently in a "very severe" situation, and if Iran refuses to change its position, the U.S. will have to "continue this negotiation through bombs."

In response to earlier reports from Iranian media that the U.S. had agreed to grant exemptions from some oil sanctions during the negotiations, this senior U.S. official said that if Iran does not take "reciprocal actions," the U.S. will never grant any form of sanction exemption "for free."

According to a report on the 18th by Iran's Tasnim News Agency, citing sources, Iran has handed over the latest negotiation text containing 14 points to the U.S. through Pakistan, with the core content focusing on issues related to "ending the war" and various confidence-building measures that the U.S. should take.

On the 17th, Trump posted on social media, stating, "Time is running out for Iran; they better act quickly, or they will have nothing. There is no time to waste!" According to Axios, citing two U.S. officials, Trump is expected to hold a meeting on the 19th in the White House Situation Room with key members of his national security team to discuss options for further military action against Iran.