A photograph of a strike taken from the town of Marjayoun in southern Lebanon on May 11, 2026. – /AFP
After more than a month of a fragile truce between the two warring parties, hopes for a resolution of the conflict remain uncertain. Pressured by the United States for two days, Tehran finally responded to American proposals to end the war in the Middle East on Sunday, May 10. With countermeasures firmly rejected by Donald Trump.
As explained by the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tehran has requested the end of the war in the region as a whole, including Lebanon, as well as the unblocking of frozen Iranian assets. The country is currently deprived of approximately 85 to 102 billion euros in currencies and oil revenues, frozen in foreign countries due to the development of its nuclear program in the 2000s.
“All the proposals in the text were reasonable and responsible demands as well as generous proposals, not only for Iran’s national interests but also for the well-being, stability, and security of the entire region and the world,” said ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei during a weekly press conference.
“Diluting” some uranium
Earlier, the Iranian public television had reported that Tehran’s response, transmitted via the Pakistani mediator, was “focused on ending the war (…) on all fronts, especially in Lebanon, and on ensuring maritime security.”
According to the Wall Street Journal, which cites sources close to the matter, Tehran would also be inclined to “dilute” some of its enriched uranium and send the rest to a “third country.” Washington and many countries suspect Tehran of seeking to acquire nuclear weapons through uranium enrichment, a claim that Iran denies, defending its right to civilian nuclear energy.
Peace plans have been presented by both parties before. On May 3, Iran had already sent to Washington, through Pakistan, a 14-point plan aimed at ending the conflict within 30 days. It demanded the withdrawal of US forces from areas near Iran, the lifting of the blockade on Iranian ports, the release of frozen Iranian assets, reparations, lifting of sanctions, a “mechanism” regarding the Strait of Hormuz, and “the end of the war on all fronts, including Lebanon.” The nuclear issue, however, was not addressed.
President Donald Trump criticized Iran’s response to his peace plan on Sunday, calling it “totally unacceptable” on his Truth Social network. “Iran has been leading the United States and the rest of the world for 47 years,” he wrote in a previous message. Iranians “mock our country that has now regained its greatness but they won’t laugh for long!”
These messages have raised doubts among investors about the likelihood of an agreement to unlock the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, where a fifth of the world’s oil normally passes through. In this context, oil prices are rising again on Monday.
