Trump says ceasefire with Iran on ‘life support’ after rejecting peace proposals

Donald Trump has said the ceasefire with Iran is on “life support” and that he is considering restarting US navy military escorts of ships through the strait of Hormuz in an attempt to end the Iranian blockade of the vital waterway. The US president dismissed Iran’s peace proposals as stupid, and denied he was under any domestic pressure to reach a deal. Referring to the ceasefire in force since 7 April, Trump said: “I would call it the weakest, right now, after reading that piece of garbage they sent us – I didn’t even finish reading it. “I would say the ceasefire is on massive life support, where the doctor walks in and says: ‘Sir, your loved one has approximately a 1% chance of living.’” Last week, the US sent Iran a set of conditions for easing the conflict, mostly related to preventing Tehran from being able to expand its nuclear programme. At the weekend, Iran sent counter-proposals that Trump dismissed out of hand. A US destroyer implements a maritime blockade against an Iran-flagged crude oil tanker last month. Photograph: US NAVY/AFP/ Trump called off Project Freedom, the plan to escort oil tankers through the strait, after little more than two days last week – ostensibly to give Iran time to respond to his peace proposals. The plan for the military escort had also met resistance from Saudi Arabia , which said it would not allow its airspace or bases to be used to support something it regarded as escalatory. …