The outbreak of a second round of chaos in the Middle East should be considered a matter of days or even hours, as the United States rejected the updated peace proposal from Iran at the moment when Donald Trump is considering launching a new sweeping attack against the Islamic Republic, as Axios reveals on 5/18. Specifically, Iran submitted an updated proposal for an agreement that would put an end to the war. However, the White House considers that it does not constitute a substantial improvement and is insufficient for an agreement, as a senior American official and a source briefed on the matter conveyed to Axios. The American officials report that President Trump desires an agreement to end the war, but is considering the possibility of restarting it due to the rejection of many of his demands by Iran and its refusal to make substantial concessions on its nuclear program.
Critical meeting of the War Staff under Trump at the White House on 5/19
Trump is expected to gather the top national security team in the Situation Room on Tuesday 5/19 to discuss military options against Iran. The relevant information was conveyed by two American officials to Axios.
The senior American official stated that if Iran does not change its position, the United States will have to continue negotiations through bombs. In particular, the American president told Axios in a telephone communication on Sunday 5/17, before the United States received the subsequent offer from Iran, that the clock is running and if Iran does not show flexibility, they will receive a much more severe strike.
Trump ultimatum to Iran: I am not willing to make concessions, they cannot imagine what... is coming to them
Subsequently, the American President Donald Trump stated to the New York Post newspaper that Iran knows what is going to happen soon, expressing his disappointment with the latest response from Tehran to the United States regarding the termination of the war. The newspaper asked Donald Trump regarding his comments on Friday 5/15, in which he had stated he was open to a 20 year pause in the nuclear program of Iran. I am not open to anything at this moment, he replied.
Total blockade on Western oil - The Axis of Resistance closes the Red Sea as well
Meanwhile, a regional source reports that the United States expects that after Hormuz, the Iranians will also close the Bab el Mandeb Strait. possibly with the assistance of the Houthis.
The Pentagon has significantly reinforced its surveillance over Yemen and one of its MQ 9 drones was shot down less than 24 hours ago. The closing of the strait will deprive the global supply chain of an additional 8 million barrels of oil per day.
How the Americans answer to the new Iranian proposal - We want to see improvements
According to the senior American official, the Iranian counterproposal sent to the United States on Sunday 5/17 in the evening through Pakistani intermediaries contains only symbolic improvements compared to the previous version. The new proposal includes more phrasing regarding the commitment of Iran not to pursue a nuclear weapon, but there are no detailed commitments to suspend uranium enrichment or deliver the existing stockpile of highly enriched uranium.
While the state media of Iran reported that the United States agreed to bypass certain oil sanctions against Iran during the negotiations, the American official stressed that there will be no relaxation of sanctions for free, without corresponding action from Iran. We are not making substantial progress. We are at a very serious point today. The pressure is on them to respond in the correct way, the senior American official characteristically emphasized. It is time for the Iranians to give some candy. We need a real, robust, and analytical discussion about the nuclear program. If this does not happen, we will have a discussion through bombs which will be a pity, he concluded meaningfully in the leak to Axios.
The United States presses for further concessions but the Iranians... hold the clock in their hands
The official added that the United States and Iran do not have direct negotiations on the substance of the agreement, but are participating in indirect talks to develop a consensus regarding how these will be shaped at a later time.
The United States considers that the fact that Iran submitted a new counterproposal, despite the very measured changes, shows that the Iranians are worried about further military action by the United States. However, the Iranians have long been formulating the assessment that Trump is the one who desperately wants an agreement and that time is on their side.
Checkmate in Hormuz by the Revolutionary Guards - Insurance premiums via... Bitcoin imposed by Iran
At the same time, Iran launched an insurance service backed by Bitcoin for shipping companies wishing to transit through the Straits of Hormuz, according to the semi official news agency Fars, which cites documents received from the ministry of Economic Affairs of the country. Through the Hormuz Safe project, the Iranian government estimates that it could have revenues exceeding 10 billion dollars, Fars reported, without however giving a timetable or details regarding the way the system operates.
It is reminded that Iran is subject to very strict sanctions by the United States, while the use of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Tether has risen sharply since Trump began targeting the Iranian economy and energy exports during his first term.
The Iranian noose tightens on Hormuz and global energy markets
Insurance policies with verification through blockchain will be provided for transfers transiting through the Persian Gulf, the Straits of Hormuz, and the surrounding waterways, while payments will be settled in Bitcoin, the Fars agency reported, citing the website hormuzsafe.ir, which does not appear to be accessible outside Iran.
The resolution of the deadlock regarding the Straits of Hormuz is critical for any official peace agreement, as more than 1500 commercial vessels remain trapped in the Persian Gulf, according to the American military. The oil producers in the region have also been forced to drastically reduce their production, as storage spaces for crude oil are running out.
The counterproposal of Iran based on the... Russian formula rejected by the Americans
It is noted that earlier Tehran counterproposed to the Americans the Russian formula for the gradual reduction of its enriched uranium, as Al Arabiya reveals. The proposal of Moscow, fully adopted and placed on the negotiation table by the Iranians, provides, transitionally, for the transfer of the enriched uranium to Russia and not to the United States or the West as Donald Trump desires. This proposal brings the Americans into a difficult position, as Iran does not deny their desire for a gradual freeze of its nuclear program, but places it on its own basis, transferring the center of gravity of the negotiations to Moscow. As it becomes understood, in this context, Russia becomes a global regulator both for the situation in the Straits of Hormuz and for the geopolitical chessboard of the Middle East as a whole. At the same time, according to leaks cited by Al Arabiya, Iran proposes revised measures, including a phase of truce and gradual opening of the Strait of Hormuz. In the same proposal, Tehran appears ready to accept a long term freeze of its nuclear program instead of its full dismantling, while it proposes the transfer of enriched uranium to Russia instead of the United States. The move shows a disposition for negotiation, but also a strategic effort to affect the geopolitical balance in the region of the Persian Gulf, where traffic in the Strait of Hormuz has critical importance for global energy flows.
IRAN SEEKS LONG TRUCE, HORMUZ REOPENING IN REVISED PROPOSAL
— *Walter Bloomberg (@DeItaone) May 18, 2026
Leaks cited by Al Arabiya report that Iran is seeking a phased truce and gradual reopening of the Strait of Hormuz in a revised proposal.
Tehran is also said to be open to a long-term freeze of its nuclear program…
Iran forwarded the new proposal on the nuclear program through Pakistan
It is noted that Pakistan shared with the United States a revised proposal from Iran to end the war in the Middle East, a Pakistani source told Reuters on Monday 5/18, warning that the sides do not have much time to bridge their differences. The spokesperson of the Iranian ministry of foreign affairs, Esmaeil Baghaei later confirmed that the views of Tehran were transmitted to the American side through Pakistan, but did not give details.
A fragile ceasefire is in effect after six weeks of war that followed the American Israeli airstrikes in Iran, but the talks mediated by Pakistan have stalled and the American President Donald Trump stated days ago that the ceasefire is on life support. The Pakistani source did not give details about the revised proposal. Asked if time would be needed to close the gaps, the source said that the sides continue to change their goals and added: We do not have much time.
Trump took the first step of retreat toward accepting the Iranian proposal
Subsequently, in a dramatic 180 degree turn, which amounts to a... disorderly retreat, Donald Trump proceeded with the United States submitting a shock proposal to Iran offering a lifting of sanctions on Iranian oil. This obviously argues in favor of an... in principle acceptance of the Iranian proposal. at least as a basis for discussion. According to revelations by Tasnim, Washington sent a new text to the Iranian authorities, proposing the freezing of sanctions while the discussions for ending the war are underway. This move comes to confirm the absolute strategic deadlock of the White House. Despite the extreme warlike rhetoric and the threats of total annihilation, Donald Trump appears trapped: the naval blockade failed to bring Tehran to its knees, the Strait of Hormuz remains blocked, while the specter of a new energy crash. with oil over 150 dollars and gasoline at 6 dollars in the United States. threatens to trigger a domestic social explosion and a crushing defeat for the Republicans in the upcoming midterm elections.
Earthquake intervention by Lavrov: Iran absolutely retains its right to uranium enrichment
Commenting on the developments, the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov, with his new statements on 5/18 defended the right of Iran to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes, amid pressure exerted on Tehran by the administration of Donald Trump. Iran, like any other member of the Non Proliferation Treaty of Nuclear Weapons, has the full right to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes, Sergey Lavrov stated during a press conference in Moscow.
He also stated that Moscow is not going to intervene in the negotiation process between Washington and Tehran. We will support any resolutions agreed upon and accepted by the negotiating parties themselves. In this case, the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran, Sergey Lavrov stated, according to what was broadcast by the Russian news agency Interfax.
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