President Trump on Friday said Iran’s latest proposal to end the ongoing war with the US is a non-starter — and that all options, including further military strikes, are on the table as he claimed the 60-day War Powers Act limit on military engagement without Congressional approval “unconstitutional.”
“We just had a conversation with Iran, let’s see what happens. But I would say that I am not happy,” he told reporters at the White House. “… They’re asking for things that I can’t agree to.”
Tehran passed its latest proposal to end its war with the US to Washington through mediators on Thursday as diplomacy continues at a snail’s pace, Iranian sources and state media said Friday.
“They want to make a deal so badly, but they’re not there yet. They’re not there,” Trump said. “In my opinion, they’re not there.”
The Trump administration has insisted that Iran give up its pursuit of a nuclear weapon, while Tehran has said issues related to reopening the Strait of Hormuz to shipping must be dealt with first.
Details of the proposal are unclear, as Trump skirted a question on what specific measures in the draft were nonnegotiable and Iranian and Pakistani sources were mum.
As negotiations continue to falter, the president said the option to launch a new wave of strikes on Iran remains on the table — which he said Chief of the Joint Staff Gen. Dan Caine laid out for him in a briefing Thursday.
“There are the options: Do you want to go blast the hell out of ’em and finish them forever, or do we want to try and make a deal? I mean, those are the options,” he told reporters at the White House.
Asked whether he would move forward with additional strikes, Trump said: “I’d prefer not. On a human basis, I’d prefer not, but that’s the option.”
Trump blamed internal fractures within the Iranian regime for the lack of progress, describing them as “very argumentative with each other” and “very confused.”
Follow The Post’s live coverage of President Trump and national politics for the latest news and analysis
“Right now, we have negotiations going on. They’re not getting there, they are very disjointed — they’re extremely disjointed,” he said. “They’re not able to get along with each other as leaders. They don’t know who the leader is.”
“They come back. One says one thing, one says another,” he added.
Still, Trump said it “shouldn’t be too long” before the war ends, and touted the two-month conflict as a success overall.
“Their military has been defeated,” he said. “If we left right now, it would take them 20 years to build back that country. But we’re not satisfied at this.”
It is unclear whether the latest proposal even mentioned Iran’s enriched uranium or weapons program. Previous publicly described Iranian plans have avoided the topic of nuclear altogether — which did little to catch American attention.
Special Envoy Steve Witkoff on Monday submitted a response to a prior proposal, adding back in demands regarding nuclear capabilities and enriched uranium, Axios reported on Friday.
Among those amendments was a demand that “Iran commit not to try to move any enriched uranium out of its bombed nuclear facilities, or restart any activity at those sites” while negotiations are underway, the outlet reported.
A regional source suggested Iran is open to a 15- to 20-year moratorium on uranium enrichment — but Trump has been steadfast in his approach that Iran must agree to never do so again.
The White House declined to divulge details.
“We do not detail private diplomatic conversations. President Trump has been clear that Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon, and negotiations continue to ensure the short- and long-term national security of the United States,” White House deputy spokeswoman Anna Kelly told The Post.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Friday “outlined the latest positions and initiatives” regarding the war in phone conversations with Turkey, Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Azerbaijan, according to IRNA.
The news comes on the 60th day of the Iran war — a milestone that would typically mark the last day the president could keep the military engaged in a conflict without Congressional approval.
Trump brushed off the idea that Congress would have to authorize further US military action against Iran.
“Most people consider it totally unconstitutional,” Trump told reporters at the White House while discussing the War Powers Resolution of 1973. “No other country’s done it. We’re in the midst of a big victory — this is a victory like we haven’t had since Venezuela.”
He further added that it is historically unprecedented for a US president to abide by the 60-day requirement, as no commander-in-chief has ever slammed the brakes on a military operation just because the 60-day clock ran out under the War Powers Resolution — despite the statute’s language requiring it.
“Many presidents, as you know, have gone and exceeded it. It’s never been used; it’s never been adhered to,” he said. “Every other president considered it totally unconstitutional, and we agree with that.”
Former presidents from Ronald Reagan to Barack Obama have instead sidestepped the deadline altogether, arguing their actions didn’t trigger “hostilities,” leaning on prior authorizations, or simply pushing past the limit without consequence.
Born out of backlash to the Vietnam War, the law was meant to rein in executive war-making — but in practice, it’s been more of a suggestion than a stop sign.
Trump on Friday said the cease-fire he declared on April 7 bought him additional time.
“There has been no exchange of fire between the United States Forces and Iran since April 7, 2026,” Trump told Congress in a letter. “The hostilities that began on February 28, 2026, have terminated.”
