In a terse, all‑caps post on his Truth Social platform on Sunday, President Donald Trump issued yet another ultimatum to the Islamic Republic, declaring that “the Clock is Ticking” and that Iran must “move, FAST, or there won’t be anything left of them”. TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE,” the president wrote, adding yet another rhetorical escalation to the long list of threats that have marked the eleven week old US‑Israeli war on Iran. The ceasefire that Washington agreed to on 8 April, after a devastating bombing campaign that failed to achieve any of its stated objectives, has held largely because Tehran has refused to provide a pretext for its collapse.
Trump’s latest outburst came after a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that lasted more than 30 minutes, during which the two leaders discussed “the possibility of renewing fighting in Iran”. According to Israeli media, the Israeli security cabinet was briefed on the call, and an unnamed source told the daily Yedioth Ahronoth that “Trump needs to make a decision. He needs to be at peace with himself”.
The president’s ultimatum came just hours after Iranian state media published details of Washington’s latest negotiating position, a five‑point document that Tehran has dismissed as a continuation of the war by other means. According to Iran’s semi‑official Fars News Agency, the United States is demanding that Iran hand over its entire stockpile of 400 kilograms of enriched uranium, enough, if further enriched, for ten nuclear weapons and that it limit its nuclear programme to a single facility. Washington is also refusing to pay any compensation for the billions of dollars in damage inflicted on Iranian civilian infrastructure during the war, is refusing to release even 25 percent of Iran’s frozen assets (estimated at more than $100 billion), and is insisting that any ceasefire across all fronts, including Israel’s ongoing war on Lebanon be made contingent on the outcome of negotiations.
In other words, the United States wants Iran to disarm, to surrender its nuclear material, and to accept the continued strangulation of its economy, all without any guarantee that Israel will stop bombing Gaza or southern Lebanon. As the Mehr news agency noted, Washington is seeking “concessions that it failed to obtain during the war”, a strategy that “will lead to an impasse in the negotiations”.
Tehran is demanding an end to the war on all fronts, with particular emphasis on Lebanon, where Israel has killed more than 2,900 people since March. It is demanding the lifting of all sanctions, the release of its frozen assets, the payment of war compensation, and formal recognition of Iran’s sovereignty over the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a waterway that Tehran has controlled since the war began.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said: “Enriched uranium is as sacred to us as Iranian soil and will not be transferred anywhere under any circumstances”. Iranian armed forces spokesman Abolfazl Shekarchi has warned that any resumption of US attacks will be met with “unprecedented, offensive, surprising and tumultuous scenarios”.
Amid the war of words, Pakistan continues to play the role of an indispensable intermediary. Islamabad hosted the war’s only direct US‑Iran talks on 11‑12 April and has since shuttled proposals between the two capitals. Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi arrived in Tehran on Saturday for a two‑day visit, holding meetings with President Masoud Pezeshkian and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s chief negotiator.
According to Iranian state media, Tehran has transmitted its 14‑point peace plan to Washington through the Pakistani channel, and the process is ongoing. However, Naqvi’s mission has become increasingly difficult as the gap between the two sides has widened. On Sunday, as the Pakistani minister was meeting with Iranian officials, Trump issued his “clock is ticking” warning. In a social media post following his talks with Naqvi, Ghalibaf reiterated that the US military presence in the Gulf is “not only incapable of providing security, but also creates the grounds for insecurity”.