Author: Xiao Yanyan, Jinshi Data

Iran said on Wednesday that it was reviewing a peace plan proposed by the United States. According to people familiar with the matter, the plan will officially end the current war, but the two core demands of the United States, requiring Iran to suspend its nuclear program and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, have not yet been resolved.

Tehran will convey its response, according to the Iranian Student News Agency (ISNA), which quoted an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson as saying. U.S. President Donald Trump said he believed Iran wanted to reach a deal.

"They want to make a deal. We've had a very good conversation over the last 24 hours and there's a good chance we can make a deal," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Wednesday.

According to CCTV News, Trump said that he is optimistic about reaching a framework agreement with Iran and believes that it "is expected to bring results." When asked about the specific time frame (for an agreement), Trump said the estimate was "a week".

In an interview that day, Trump expressed optimism about the prospects of an agreement between the United States and Iran, saying that a possible agreement would include Iran transporting its highly enriched uranium to the United States. Trump said that he felt that the United States was getting closer to reaching an agreement. "I think the chances of reaching an agreement are very high." It is possible that the two sides will reach an agreement next week to end the war.

But he also threatened: "If they don't agree, then we will bomb." When asked whether a possible agreement would include Iran transferring its highly enriched uranium out of the country, perhaps to the United States, Trump replied: "Yes, not 'maybe,' it will be shipped to the United States." Trump also said that Iran would also promise not to operate underground nuclear facilities and "will abide by this arrangement in good faith for a considerable period of time."

When pressed on whether there was a deadline for receiving Iran's response to the latest U.S. proposal, Trump suggested the time frame was open.

"There's never a deadline. It's going to happen. It's going to happen, but there's never going to be a deadline," he said. "We are in good shape. We are doing well now and we have to get what we have to get. If we don't we will have to go further. But having said that, they still want to make a deal."

Trump once again claimed that Iran has agreed to his first demand, which is not to possess nuclear weapons.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that he and Trump agreed that all enriched uranium must be removed from Iran to prevent it from developing a nuclear bomb.

It is worth mentioning that earlier in the day, Trump showed a more pessimistic attitude towards the prospects of reaching an agreement. He posted a message on the "Real Social" platform threatening to restart the US military's bombing campaign against Iran, and described the possibility of Iran agreeing to the latest US proposal as a "big assumption."

Trump has repeatedly made high-profile claims to reach an agreement to end the war that began on February 28, but has so far failed. The two sides remain at odds over a number of thorny issues, including Iran's nuclear ambitions and its control of the Strait of Hormuz. He is seeking a way out of a conflict that has sent energy prices soaring and damaged his political standing.

Trump said he was surprised that the Iran war failed to push up oil prices as much as expected, but even if oil prices rise to $200 per barrel, the conflict would be worth it.

Trump told reporters in the Oval Office of the White House on Wednesday: "I thought the price of oil would rise to $200, $250. You are all surprised, and I am surprised. But even if the price of oil rises to $200, the war will be worth it." The American Automobile Association (AAA) said on Wednesday that U.S. gasoline prices have exceeded $4.50 per gallon, hitting the highest level since July 2022.

Iran is expected to respond within the next two days through mediator Pakistan, a person familiar with the matter said. At the same time, Iranian state media said there were still parts of the U.S. proposal that were too demanding and unrealistic for Iran.

Iranian lawmaker Ebrahim Rezaei, spokesman for the parliament’s foreign policy and national security committee, described the current text as “more like an American wish list than reality.”

"In a war they are losing, Americans are getting nothing they can't get in face-to-face negotiations," he wrote on social media.