We're in final stages of Iran. We'll either have a deal or we're going to do some things that are a little bit nasty.
Two months into a war launched without congressional blessing, President Trump has declared the conflict with Iran nearing its end — though the distance between declaration and reality remains measured in uranium stockpiles, frozen assets, and the quiet suffering of hospital wards in southern Lebanon. With Pakistan threading diplomacy between Washington and Tehran, the world watches a narrow window open, uncertain whether it leads to peace or to something Trump declined to name. History has seen such moments before: the war that was almost over, the deal that was almost done, the pause that became permanent or didn't.
- Trump has given Iran days — not weeks — to respond to U.S. peace terms, framing the choice as a diplomatic breakthrough or rapid military escalation.
- Iran's new supreme leader has reportedly forbidden the removal of its enriched uranium stockpile, potentially killing the central demand of any American agreement before talks can conclude.
- House Republicans blocked a bipartisan war powers vote they knew they would lose, exposing how badly congressional support for a two-month-old, unauthorized war has fractured.
- Oil markets lurched past $109 a barrel before retreating, as traders tried to price the difference between a ceasefire and a wider war across the Strait of Hormuz.
- The human cost accumulates quietly: nine wounded in an Israeli strike on a Lebanese hospital, 116 health workers killed since March, and at least 34 Iranians executed under cover of wartime repression.
On Wednesday, President Trump told reporters the war with Iran was entering its final chapter. He would wait a couple of days, he said, for Tehran to respond to the latest American peace proposal. Complete, satisfactory answers could stop the fighting. Anything less, and things would move — he left the direction unnamed — very quickly.
The war had begun on February 28, when U.S. and Israeli forces struck Iranian targets without congressional approval. In the two months since, it had closed the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping, rattled global oil markets, and steadily eroded the political consensus that once backed Trump's decision. Now, with Pakistan's army chief traveling to Tehran as intermediary, the administration was testing whether a negotiated exit existed.
Iran said it was reviewing the American offer. Through state media, Tehran's Foreign Ministry confirmed receipt and outlined its own framework: a definitive end to hostilities on all fronts, the release of frozen Iranian assets, and an end to what it called piracy against its commercial vessels. The U.S. blockade, imposed in early April, had redirected 94 ships and disabled four others.
The central obstacle may prove insurmountable. Reuters reported that Iran's new supreme leader had formally decreed the country's enriched uranium stockpile — nearly 900 pounds at 60% purity, close to weapons-grade — must remain inside Iran. If true, it would flatly reject one of Trump's core demands. A senior Iranian official denied the report, calling it propaganda and describing the nuclear material as a subject for the next stage of talks.
In Washington, the war's political foundation was crumbling. House Republicans blocked a war powers resolution that appeared certain to pass with bipartisan support, delaying the vote into June rather than face defeat. The bill's sponsor, Representative Gregory Meeks, was direct: the votes were there, and Republican leadership knew it. In the Senate, GOP members were working to neutralize a parallel resolution that four of their own colleagues had already supported.
The human toll continued its quiet accumulation. An Israeli strike on a hospital in southern Lebanon wounded nine people, seven of them staff. Since March 2, sixteen hospitals in the region had been damaged and 116 health workers killed. The United Nations reported at least 34 executions in Iran on political charges since the escalation began, as Tehran used the war as cover for domestic repression.
Oil markets swung sharply — Brent crude briefly topped $109 before settling near $102 — as traders tried to gauge whether a deal was real or whether the conflict was about to deepen. Secretary of State Rubio, en route to a NATO meeting in Sweden, renewed frustration with allies unwilling to support the war effort. What remained unresolved was whether the diplomatic window Trump had opened would hold, or whether the next few days would confirm that the final chapter he described was not an ending but an escalation.
President Trump stood before reporters on Wednesday and declared the war with Iran entering its final chapter. He was willing to wait, he said—a couple of days, maybe—for Tehran to respond to the latest American peace proposal. Not longer. If Iran gave what he called "complete 100% good answers," the fighting could stop. If not, he said, things would move "very quickly" in a direction he preferred not to name.
The statement marked a shift in tone from the conflict that began on February 28, when U.S. and Israeli forces struck Iranian targets without congressional approval. For more than two months, the war had ground on—disrupting global oil markets, closing the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping, and fracturing the political consensus that had initially supported Trump's decision to act. Now, with Pakistan serving as intermediary and Pakistani Army Chief Asim Munir traveling to Tehran on Thursday, the administration appeared to be testing whether a negotiated exit was possible.
Iran's government said it was considering the American offer. Through state media, Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei confirmed that Tehran had received the U.S. position and was reviewing it. Iran's initial framework, he noted, called for a definitive end to the war on all fronts—including Lebanon, where Israeli and Hezbollah forces continued trading fire despite a ceasefire agreement. Tehran also demanded the release of frozen Iranian financial assets and an end to what it characterized as piracy against its commercial vessels. The blockade of Iranian ports, imposed by the U.S. in early April, had redirected 94 ships and disabled four others to prevent commerce flowing in or out.
Yet significant obstacles remained. Reuters reported that Iran's new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, had formally decreed that the country's highly enriched uranium stockpile—nearly 900 pounds enriched to 60% purity, a short step from weapons-grade material—must remain within Iran's borders. If accurate, the order would amount to a flat rejection of one of Trump's core demands. The president had insisted repeatedly that Iran could not develop a nuclear weapon and had suggested at various points that Tehran had agreed to hand over the uranium or that American forces could simply seize it. A senior Iranian official later denied the Reuters report to Al Jazeera, calling it propaganda and describing the nuclear material as "the subject of talks in the next stage."
Back in Washington, the political ground beneath the war was shifting. House Republicans, facing a war powers resolution that appeared likely to pass with bipartisan support, simply declined to hold the vote. The measure, sponsored by Democrats, would have required Trump to withdraw from the conflict. Republican leaders delayed the vote into June, unable to muster the numbers to block it. Democratic Representative Gregory Meeks, who sponsored the bill, said plainly: "We had the votes without question and they knew it, and as a result they're playing a political game." In the Senate, Republicans were working to ensure they had votes to dismiss another war powers resolution after four GOP senators had supported it earlier in the week.
The human toll continued mounting. Nine people were wounded in an Israeli strike on a hospital in southern Lebanon on Thursday, with seven of them hospital staff members. The Lebanese health ministry said the strike damaged the emergency department, intensive care unit, and other sections of the Tibnin public hospital. Since March 2, sixteen hospitals in southern Lebanon had been damaged and 116 emergency and health workers killed. In Iran itself, the United Nations human rights office reported that at least 34 people had been executed on political and national security charges since the military escalation began, with Tehran using the war as cover to intensify domestic repression. The number of executions carried out by Iran had doubled the previous year, with at least 2,159 people put to death.
Oil markets swung wildly on uncertainty about how long the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed. Brent crude briefly topped $109 per barrel Thursday morning before falling 2.3% to settle at $102.58. The volatility rippled through financial markets. U.S. stocks wavered—the S&P 500 rose 0.2%, the Dow added 276 points, the Nasdaq climbed 0.1%—as traders tried to gauge whether a deal was truly within reach or whether the conflict would expand further. Trump said the U.S. did not want to collect tolls on the Strait of Hormuz, contradicting his earlier suggestion that America might do so. "We want it open, we want it free. We don't want tolls," he said. "It's an international waterway." Yet Iran had begun demanding that ships coordinate with its military for passage and often charged fees. Trump claimed Iran was "not charging tolls right now," even as the country's newly formed body had begun collecting them. He estimated Iran was losing $500 million a day due to the blockade.
Trump's Secretary of State Marco Rubio, heading to a NATO meeting in Sweden, renewed criticism of American allies for refusing to support the war. "President Trump is not asking them to send their fighter jets in. But they refuse to do anything," Rubio told reporters. France and the United Kingdom had led efforts to build a coalition to secure the Strait of Hormuz, but only after hostilities ended. The administration's frustration with its traditional partners underscored the isolation the conflict had created. What remained unclear was whether the diplomatic opening Trump had signaled would hold or whether, as he suggested, the next few days would determine whether the war entered a new and more destructive phase.
Citas Notables
If I can save war by waiting a couple of days, if I can save people being killed by waiting a couple of days, I think it's a great thing to do.— President Trump
We have received the views of the American side and are currently reviewing them.— Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why does Trump keep saying "a couple of days" when he's been willing to wait before?
Because the political pressure is real now. Congress almost voted to force him out of this war. He needs to show movement, show he's trying, or the votes against him will only grow.
And Iran's new supreme leader just said the uranium stays. That sounds like a dead end.
It does, unless you read it as a negotiating position. Iran's denying it through other channels, saying the uranium is "the subject of talks in the next stage." They're leaving room to move without losing face at home.
What about the people being killed right now—the hospital workers, the executed prisoners?
They're the reason both sides are talking. The war has costs that are becoming visible and politically unsustainable. But those costs don't disappear just because negotiations start.
Why would Trump suddenly care about waiting instead of bombing?
He doesn't suddenly care. He cares that his own party is breaking ranks. If House Republicans can't stop a war powers vote, he's lost control of the narrative. A deal—any deal—lets him claim victory and move on.
Is Pakistan actually neutral here, or are they just helping Trump?
Pakistan has its own interests. They border Iran, they need stability, and they've built relationships with both sides. They're not neutral, but they're not captured by either side either. That's what makes them useful.
What happens if Iran says no in the next couple of days?
Then Trump does what he said—things move "very quickly." The blockade tightens, the strikes resume, and oil prices spike again. The market's already pricing in that risk.