Iran responds to the us proposal to end the war

Added: 2026-05-17

[00:00:00]Iran responding to the US proposal to end the war, but tonight President Trump calling it totally unacceptable. All of it is raising major questions of when and how this conflict will end. Here's ABC's Tom Soufi Burridge in Tel Aviv tonight.

[00:00:14]Tonight, with the Strait of Hormuz still blocked amid a fragile ceasefire, President Trump rejecting Iran's response to a US interim proposal to end the war. The president saying in a post on social media, "I have just read the response from Iran's so-called representatives. I don't like it.

[00:00:31]Totally unacceptable." The one-page US proposal would see Iran relinquish its stranglehold over the Strait of Hormuz, allowing free passage for the 1,500 cargo vessels trapped in the Persian Gulf, and providing some relief for the world's economy and gas prices in the US.

[00:00:49]In return, the US would gradually ease its military blockade on Iranian ports, with a further 30-day period then beginning to negotiate a full deal. We see now Iran's economy in absolute freefall. Its currency is down over 100%. Its foreign reserve currency reserves are completely exhausted.

[00:01:08]Tonight, those short-term compromises seemingly in jeopardy more than a month after the ceasefire took hold. According to a source speaking with an Iranian state-linked news agency, Iran's response included demands like an end to the war and the lifting of oil sanctions within 30 days. In a new interview, the president telling Sinclair's Full Measure, the US could still bomb Iran again. I said they are they are defeated, but that doesn't mean they're done.

[00:01:35]We could go in for two more weeks and do every single target.

[00:01:41]Americans feeling the cost of the war with rising prices at the gas pump. The energy secretary saying today the administration is open to suspending the federal gas tax. 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.

[00:02:00]Rachel, the main sticking point in the negotiations with Iran, the future of its nuclear program. And with still no breakthrough in ending the war, it's just days before President Trump is expected to travel to Iran's key ally China for a crucial summit with Chinese President Xi. Rachel. Yes, 71 days of this conflict. Tom, thank you.