- Iran sends fresh peace proposal to US via Pakistani officials, according to state media
- Trump says he is ‘not satisfied’ with the proposal
- Trump administration claims war is “terminated” as US hits 60-day deadline for congressional support
- Israel continues to strike Lebanon after ceasefire agreement was extended
- Iran’s supreme leader vows to protect nuclear capabilities in a statement
Iran has reportedly sent the US a fresh proposal for ending the war, as the Trump administration faces its 60-day deadline for congressional approval.
The proposal is being shared with the US via Pakistani mediators, Iranian state media agency IRNA reported on Friday.
As he left the White House for Florida on Friday, US President Donald Trump said he was not satisfied with the latest proposal but that the US was negotiating with Iran by phone.
He told reporters that Iran “wants to make a deal”.
The two nations have been locked in a standoff for nearly four weeks after a ceasefire was agreed on April 7.
The US has been engaged in a naval blockade of Iranian ports along the Strait of Hormuz since April 13, in response to Iran almost entirely closing the waterway to the rest of the world.
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The Trump administration recently claimed the war was effectively over as it hit a legal deadline for congressional approval.
Under the War Powers Resolution of 1973, the US president must end a military campaign after 60 days, unless Congress declares war or authorises the use of military force, or a 30-day extension is requested.
Trump formally notified lawmakers of the war on March 2, which would mean the 60-day period ends on May 1.
However a senior administration official, who spoke to AP on the condition of anonymity, said the war had since been “terminated”, as neither the US and Iran had exchanged fire since April 7.
“For war powers resolution purposes, the hostilities that began on Saturday, February 28, have terminated,” they said.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth also said during a hearing on Thursday that the Trump administration’s understanding is that the “60-day clock pauses or stops” due to the ceasefire.
Many Republicans had emphasised that there would be a May 1 deadline for Congress to intervene at the start of the war, but no action has been planned as the lawmakers take a one-week break.
A sixth bid to stop the war in Iran was rejected in the Senate on Thursday, with two Republicans voting in favour of it.
Iran vows to protect nuclear capabilities
It is not yet clear what Iran’s latest peace proposal entails, but Iran’s supreme leader vowed on Thursday to protect the Islamic Republic’s nuclear and missile capabilities, a major sticking point between the nations.
In a statement read by a state television anchor, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said the only place the US belonged in the Persian Gulf was “at the bottom of its waters”.
“Ninety million proud and honorable Iranians inside and outside the country regard all of Iran’s identity-based, spiritual, human, scientific, industrial and technological capacities – from nanotechnology and biotechnology to nuclear and missile capabilities – as national,” Khamenei said.
Khamenei has not been seen in public since taking over as supreme leader following the killing of his father in the war’s opening airstrikes.
Khamenei’s aide, Mohsen Qomi, shut down reports he is not well enough to lead, stating that suggesting otherwise was “a trick by the enemy” on Friday.
“Currently, he is in perfect health and is actively managing affairs. He oversees matters related to negotiations and field operations under his direct supervision,” Qomi told Fars News Agency, which is linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Israel-Lebanon strikes continue despite ceasefire
The Israel Defence Forces said on May 1 they had destroyed more than 40 Hezbollah infrastructure sites in southern Lebanon in the last 24 hours, despite a ceasefire between the countries being extended last week.
Residents in the town of Habbouch, in southern Lebanon, were urged on Friday to evacuate their homes by at least 1,000 metres.
“In light of the terrorist Hezbollah party violating the ceasefire agreement, the Defense Army is compelled to act against it forcefully and does not intend to harm you,” Avichay Adraee, the Arabic spokesperson for the IDF said on X.
Seventeen people, including two children, were killed in Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon on Thursday, the country’s health ministry said, with a further 35 people injured.
One Israeli soldier was killed and three others were injured in two drone attacks the same day.
Hezbollah claimed the attack on Friday, ITV News’ US partner CNN reports.
The IDF said it had intercepted a drone that was launched toward the area, and that a rocket and an explosive drone launched by Hezbollah had also fallen nearby.
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