A regional diplomatic source familiar with the contacts between the US and Iran said Washington had rejected an Iranian demand for a full ceasefire even before Tehran delivers an official response to the American proposal. According to the source, Iran asked for a delay of five to seven days in order to formulate an agreed position within the regime's leadership, and demanded that the fighting be halted during that time.
President Donald Trump rejected the request for a ceasefire at this stage, but granted several additional days within the framework of the American ultimatum, which stands at 10 days, during which Iran is required to respond to the proposal.
Behind the US refusal is a clear position that the fighting should not be halted without a prior Iranian commitment to basic conditions. According to diplomatic sources, Israel and the Gulf states are working in close coordination with Washington to prevent an early ceasefire that would not include such commitments, chief among them dismantling key components of the nuclear program, placing enriched material under international supervision, and imposing significant restrictions on the missile array.
In addition, the demands include an Iranian commitment to stop hostile activity carried out through regional proxies, as well as maintaining freedom of navigation through key waterways, chief among them the Strait of Hormuz. From the standpoint of the regional states, these are threshold conditions meant to ensure that any future arrangement addresses the full range of threats, and not merely a temporary halt in the fighting.
In the Gulf states and in Israel, concern is growing that a ceasefire without conditions would allow Iran to buy time, stabilize its internal situation, and rebuild its military and economic capabilities while trying to improve its position ahead of further contacts. According to assessments, such a scenario would allow Tehran to preserve significant parts of the existing infrastructure, both in the nuclear sphere and in the missile field, without committing to dismantle them.
That position is received within the US administration, which wants to maintain pressure on Iran until it receives a clear response to the position paper presented to Tehran. At the same time, Washington is waiting for a decision in Tehran after the regime formally rejected the proposal but stopped short of closing the door on continued contacts, leaving an opening for further negotiations in the coming days.
