May 3, 2026
US President Donald Trump said he was examining a fresh Iranian proposal to end hostilities and told reporters he would provide details later, adding that aides were finalizing the exact wording. On his Truth Social platform he expressed doubt that Tehran’s offer would be acceptable, arguing Iran had not paid a sufficiently high price for its actions over the past 47 years. The remarks followed his rejection of an earlier Iranian proposal.
According to US media, Iran submitted the new terms through Pakistani mediators and reportedly set a one-month deadline for talks. Reported Iranian objectives include reopening the Strait of Hormuz, lifting the US naval blockade, and securing permanent conclusions to the wars involving Iran and Lebanon.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps pushed back against US pressure, warning Washington it faced either an unrealistic military operation or a poor diplomatic deal. The Guards’ intelligence arm pointed to what it described as shifts in tone from China, Russia and European states toward the US and referenced an Iranian deadline tied to the blockade. Senior Iranian military officials warned that renewed conflict with the United States remained a real possibility, while Tehran’s deputy foreign minister said the ball was in Washington’s court to choose diplomacy or confrontation.
In Lebanon, Iran-backed Hezbollah has strongly opposed direct talks between Lebanon and Israel. Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah warned the group could undermine any agreement and said such negotiations risked deepening internal divisions. Lebanon and Israel have held rare direct meetings in Washington aimed at ending the Israel-Hezbollah war and resolving long-standing border disputes.
Despite a fragile ceasefire reached on April 17, Israel has continued strikes in southern Lebanon, saying it targeted dozens of Hezbollah positions. The Israeli military told residents of several towns and villages to evacuate immediately and to move at least 1,000 metres into open areas. Lebanese media and state news agencies reported strikes across the south and other regions; Lebanese authorities say the attacks have killed thousands and displaced more than a million people. Both sides regularly accuse the other of violating the ceasefire.
Israel has also approved a major purchase of about 50 advanced combat aircraft from the United States: one squadron of F-35I Adir stealth fighters and one squadron of F-15IA strike fighters. Defence Minister Israel Katz said the acquisitions would allow the Israel Defence Forces to operate “anywhere, at any time.” Israel has already used existing F-35Is in strikes linked to Gaza and Iran.
The conflict has affected academic institutions in Iran. Isfahan University of Technology, severely damaged in March by what Iranian officials say were US-Israeli strikes, plans to preserve a bombed building as a war memorial. The university reported roughly $11 million in damage and said additional land has been allocated for a new facility and upgraded equipment. Iranian authorities say more than 30 universities, including institutions in Tehran, have been hit.
Human rights concerns persist inside Iran. Nobel laureate and human rights lawyer Narges Mohammadi, arrested in December and serving a sentence, was urgently transferred to a hospital in Zanjan after a cardiac event and fainting. Her family and the foundation that supports her said her health was at very high risk and pointed to a decline they partly attribute to mistreatment during her arrest. Iranian medical teams asked for her records before treatment, and her husband said the Intelligence Ministry opposed moving her to Tehran for care by her own doctors.
The situation remains fluid. Tehran has signalled it is open to diplomacy if Washington chooses that path, but warnings and actions from Iran’s military and allied groups complicate negotiations. President Trump’s review of the new Iranian proposal, combined with his public scepticism, leaves prospects for a negotiated settlement uncertain while ongoing military activity and political statements on both sides keep tensions elevated.