Days after President Donald Trump publicly rejected Iran’s latest proposal to end the war, Tehran says it has received his official answer.
Iranian state media says Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi presented the U.S. response to President Masoud Pezeshkian and his cabinet. Iran hasn’t revealed what the response says.
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“We will make every effort to bring the agreement to fruition and will firmly stand up for the rights of the Iranian people,” Pezeshkian said. “The agreement must now be based on a win-win strategy.”
Araghchi delivered the response after returning from the U.N. General Assembly in New York. His trip ended earlier than planned after Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered the Iranian delegation to leave the U.S. by early Tuesday.
Trump’s stance
The official U.S. response comes after Trump made his position public Saturday, rejecting Tehran’s proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and move toward ending the war.
Iran’s plan called for the U.S. to lift its naval blockade, ease oil sanctions and meet other conditions in exchange for reopening the strait.
Then, on Wednesday, Trump was asked what would happen next. His answer: make a deal or possibly attack.
“Maybe you blow them up,” Trump said. “We have to make that decision. We blow ’em up, or make a deal, but the time is coming. It’s going to end very soon, one way or the other.”
Pentagon announces new efforts
As the war continues, the Pentagon is already looking at how the next one could be fought.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has announced “Project Meridian,” a new effort to study the future of warfare, with Elon Musk and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich among those helping lead it.
“Project Meridian, the future of warfare, is not about developing new strategies or new policies,” Hegseth said. “We already do that. Rather, its purpose is to creatively look to the future and identify the domains that we must conquer and the capabilities we must master. We should have been thinking about autonomous warfare command 10 years ago. We need to be looking forward into the future to achieve technological and military dominance on the battlefield for decades to come.”
The announcement came during what Hegseth called a “State of the Force” address to junior officers and enlisted leaders at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia.
Hegseth also announced a new four-star command to oversee the military’s expansion of drone and autonomous warfare, part of what he called “the fastest peacetime shift in modern military history.”
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