(ATTN: ADDS more info, remarks in para 19
By Song Sang-ho
WASHINGTON, May 1 (Yonhap) — U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that he was “not satisfied” with Iran’s latest peace proposal, noting that negotiators from the Islamic Republic had been asking for things that he “can’t agree with.”
Trump made the remarks during a press availability following a news report that Tehran has sent a new proposal to Pakistani mediators for the negotiations with the United States, as Washington awaits a unified response from the Iranian leadership, which Trump called “extremely disjointed.”
“They want to make a deal, but I am not satisfied with it. So we will see what happens,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “Iran wants to make a deal because they have no military left, essentially.”
Asked to explain what he is not satisfied with, Trump said, “They are asking for things that I can’t agree with.”
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks with reporters before departing on Marine One from the South Lawn of the White House in Washington on May 1, 2026, in this photo released by the Associated Press. (Yonhap)
He did not elaborate on Iran’s latest proposal.
The two sides have sought to narrow differences over Iran’s push to hold sway over the crucial Strait of Hormuz and a U.S. demand for Iran to renounce its nuclear ambitions and hand over its stockpile of enriched uranium that can be used to build bombs.
Trump reiterated the difficulty in negotiating with the Iranian leadership that the U.S. believes is struggling with internal division between hard-liners and moderates, which makes it difficult to devise a coherent proposal to end hostilities with the U.S.
“In Iran, the leadership is very disjointed. It’s got two to three groups, maybe four,” he said. “With that being said, they all want to make a deal, but they are all messed up.”
He also said that Iranian leaders are “not able to get along with each other,” which he said puts the U.S. “in a bad position.”
“One group wants to make a certain deal. The other group wants to make a certain deal, including the hard-liners,” he said. “The hard-liners want to make a deal too. Why wouldn’t they? They have no navy. They have no air force. they have no anti-aircraft. They have nothing.”
He added that Iranians do not know “who their leaders are.”
“They are very confused,” he said.
Trump has extended a ceasefire with Iran until Tehran comes up with a unified peace proposal, though his administration has been ramping up pressure on Iran through its naval blockade of Iranian ports and vessels, and economic sanctions.
Washington and Tehran held their first and only round of direct high-level negotiations in Islamabad on April 11 and 12, but they failed to reach an agreement.
Commenting on the 1973 War Powers Resolution, Trump said his administration considers it unconstitutional.
Under the resolution, the president is required to end an unauthorized use of U.S. armed forces within 60 days of notifying Congress, unless lawmakers grant approval.
The 60-day period for the current military operation against Iran was set to expire on Friday, as Trump had notified Congress of the operation on March 2. The Trump administration believes the current ceasefire with Iran has paused the 60-day countdown.
“Many presidents, as you know, have gone and exceeded it. It’s never been used. It’s never been adhered to,” the president said. “Every other president considered it totally unconstitutional, and we agree with that.”
In a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson and Sen. Chuck Grassley, the Senate president pro tempore, Trump wrote that “the hostilities that began on Feb. 28, 2026 have “terminated,” effectively evading the May 1 deadline to secure congressional approval to continue the war with Iran, according to the Associated Press.
During the press availability, Trump struck a positive note on the upcoming summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, which is set to take place in Beijing on May 14 and 15.
“It’s going to be amazing. The visit with China and Chairman Xi … that’s going to be great,” he said.
If held, the high-stakes summit between Trump and Xi is expected to touch on an array of bilateral, regional and global issues, including trade, the security of Taiwan and the ongoing U.S.-Israeli war against Iran.
sshluck@yna.co.kr
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