US President Donald Trump said the "clock is ticking" for Iran as efforts to end the war appeared to stall, warning that Tehran must come forward with a better proposal or face harder strikes. In a phone call with Axios, Trump said that if the Iranian regime did not improve its offer for a deal, "they are going to get hit much harder."

The warning came as Trump was due to speak with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Iranian media, meanwhile, said Washington had failed to make any concrete concessions in response to Tehran's latest proposals, with the semi-official Mehr news agency saying the lack of compromise could lead to an "impasse in the negotiations".

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Posting on Truth Social, Trump wrote: "They better get moving, FAST, or there won't be anything left of them," adding, "TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!" He also told Axios: "We want to make a deal. They are not where we want them to be. They will have to get there, or they will be hit badly, and they don't want that." He added that the US would hit Iran "much harder than before" if it did not come up with a better proposal.

Last week, he said the truce was on "massive life support" after rejecting Tehran's demands as "totally unacceptable". The news site reported that Trump met members of his national security team at his Virginia golf club on Saturday, including Vice-President JD Vance, White House envoy Steve Witkoff, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and that he is expected to convene his top team in the Situation Room on Tuesday to discuss military options.

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Esmail Baghaei, an Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson, said Tehran's demands were "responsible" and "generous". According to Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency, they included an immediate end to the war on all fronts, referring to continued Israeli attacks against Iran-supported Hezbollah in Lebanon, a halt to the US naval blockade of Iranian ports and guarantees of no further attacks on Iran. The proposals also reportedly called for compensation for war damage and stressed Iranian sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran's semi-official Fars news agency said on Sunday that Washington had replied with five conditions. According to the report, these included a demand that Iran keep only one nuclear site in operation and transfer its stockpile of highly enriched uranium to the US. Trump said on Friday that he could accept a 20-year suspension of Iran's nuclear programme, which appeared to signal a shift away from demanding a complete end to it.

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Published on: May 18, 2026 8:06 AM IST