US President Donald Trump is unhappy with Iran’s latest ceasefire proposal because it doesn’t address the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program, said a US official briefed on Trump’s Monday meeting with advisers.

According to unnamed US officials cited by the Wall Street Journal, Trump did not reject Iran’s proposal outright during the meeting, but suggested Tehran was negotiating in bad faith and was unable to commit to halting its uranium enrichment and never seeking a nuclear arms.

The officials said the White House would likely make a counterproposal in the coming days.

White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales said in response to the reports that the US “will not negotiate through the press” and has “been clear about our red lines,” while US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a Monday interview that Iran’s proposal was unacceptable.

Rubio’s statement came after Axios reported that Iran had proposed an agreement on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and ending the war, while delaying negotiations on Tehran’s nuclear program for a later stage.

In a separate report, the Wall Street Journal said Iran was seeking to avoid a costly oil production shutdown, and has resorted to delivering barrels of crude by rail or holding them in “junk storage” sites because its oil shipping has cratered since the US imposed a blockade on it on April 13.

At least six tankers loaded with Iranian oil have been forced back to Iran by the US blockade in recent days, ship-tracking data showed, underscoring the war’s impact on traffic.

Meanwhile, Iran’s oil inventories have grown........

© The Times of Israel