Live updates: Follow the latest news on Iran war
Iran on Friday submitted a new proposal for further negotiations with the US to end their war – an offer that was immediately rejected by President Donald Trump.
Iranian state media reported that the proposal was sent through mediator Pakistan, which last month hosted the only round of negotiations between the two sides so far.
"They want to make a deal, I'm not satisfied with it, so we'll see what happens,” Mr Trump said. “They're asking for things I can't agree to.”
He also said negotiations were taking place by phone, and added: "We gave them a final proposal."
Mr Trump said that there was chaos in the Iranian leadership, saying "they get close and then a new group of people come in – they don't know who their leaders are".
Later, during remarks at an event in Florida, Mr Trump said “we’re going to get this thing done properly", adding the US would not end the conflict "early" only to have "this kind of problem arise in three more years".
It was not clear what Iran's latest proposal contained. Mr Trump this week rejected Tehran’s initial offer, which reportedly proposed resuming talks to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, while deferring negotiations on the fate of its nuclear programme.
The closure of the strait has caused unprecedented disruption to energy markets, choking off 20 per cent of the world's oil and gas supplies and causing prices to surge. Iran effectively closed off the waterway after the conflict began, with the US responding later by blocking vessels carrying exports of Iranian crude oil.
A ceasefire has been in place since April 8 but reports that Mr Trump was to be briefed on plans for new strikes to compel Iran to negotiate pushed global oil prices up to a four-year high at one point on Thursday.
Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of US Central Command, briefed Mr Trump on Thursday evening for 45 minutes about operational plans for renewed attacks on Iran, Axios quoted two senior American officials as saying.
The US military said it was replenishing and restocking its navy with “fuel, food, munitions and essential supplies”. Centcom shared images showing what it said were supplies being loaded on to the guided-missile destroyer USS Delbert D Black. The ship is supporting the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group in the Middle East.
Last week, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said the US was expanding its naval blockade of Iranian ports, with a second aircraft carrier joining the operation.
The blockade will remain in place for “as long as it takes,” he said, repeating Mr Trump's threat to destroy any Iranian military vessels laying mines.
Iran has activated air defences and plans a wide response if attacked, having assessed that there will be short, intensive US strikes, possibly followed by an Israeli attack, two senior Iranian sources told Reuters.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held phone calls on Friday with the foreign ministers of Turkey, Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Azerbaijan, in which he outlined Iran's latest positions and initiatives concerning the end of the war, the Irna news agency said.
Mr Trump faced a formal US deadline on Friday to end the conflict or make the case to Congress for extending it under the 1973 War Powers Resolution. The date looked set to pass without altering the course of the war after a senior administration official said that, for the purposes of the resolution, hostilities had terminated due to the April ceasefire.
Israel has not completely dismissed a return to war. A day after Mr Trump's “no more Mr Nice Guy” social media post, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said his country “may soon be required to act again” against Iran.
Speaking at a military award ceremony, he added that Israel supports Mr Trump’s efforts to “complete the campaign objectives”, but that further Israeli action might be required to “ensure the realisation of these objectives”.
The US and Israel have described their decision to attack Iran as self defence, aimed at preventing Tehran from developing nuclear weapons. The US wants Iran to give up its nuclear programme, which Tehran says is for civilian use, and hand over a stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons grade. It also wants Iran to curb its missile programme and end support for armed proxy groups in the region.
The war has killed thousands, mainly in Iran and Lebanon, where Iran-backed Hezbollah began attacking Israel days after the conflict began. Israel responded with a bombing campaign across Lebanon and a ground invasion that displaced residents of southern areas near the border.
The president of the International Committee of the Red Cross has warned that Iranians would be subjected to “catastrophic” conditions if the war resumes.
“Six weeks of hostilities have pulled Iran and the wider Middle East into patterns of warfare that have proved devastating for civilians and the infrastructure they rely on to survive,” said Mirjana Spoljaric said during a visit to Tehran this week. “Any return to a conflict of such intensity and scale will be catastrophic for millions.”
She added that said the ICRC had increased humanitarian assistance in Iran, bringing additional staff and relief items, with “more on the way”.
Authorities in Iran say at least 3,370 people have been killed during the US-Israeli attacks, including hundreds of children. Ms Spoljaric called for the pause in hostilities, which began on April 8, to continue.
“A durable ceasefire, followed by a political solution, has to start by upholding humanity in war along with a collective commitment to de-escalate,” she said.
