Iran Chief Negotiator Says US Must Accept Proposal or Face ‘Failure’

A person rides a motorcycle over a US flag painted on a street, in Tehran, Iran, May 12, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
A person rides a motorcycle over a US flag painted on a street, in Tehran, Iran, May 12, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
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Iran Chief Negotiator Says US Must Accept Proposal or Face ‘Failure’

A person rides a motorcycle over a US flag painted on a street, in Tehran, Iran, May 12, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
A person rides a motorcycle over a US flag painted on a street, in Tehran, Iran, May 12, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters

Iran's chief negotiator on Tuesday issued an ultimatum to the United States to accept the conditions in Tehran's 14-point proposal for peace in the Middle East war or face "failure".

The defiant message came after US President Donald Trump rejected the latest counteroffer from Iran and said that a fragile ceasefire in place since April 8 was on "life support".

But Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Washington had to accept Tehran's "rights" if it wanted to end more than two months of conflict, as peace talks remain deadlocked after an initial round failed to produce a breakthrough last month.

"There is no alternative but to accept the rights of the Iranian people as laid out in the 14-point proposal. Any other approach will be completely inconclusive; nothing but one failure after another," said Ghalibaf in a post on X.

"The longer they drag their feet, the more American taxpayers will pay for it."

Iran has refused to back down in its war with Washington, with military officials warning they are prepared to respond to any renewed US attack.

It has choked traffic through the key Strait of Hormuz trade route, rattling global markets and giving it vital leverage, while the US has imposed its own naval blockade on Iranian ports.

Details of the latest US proposal remain limited, though media reports say it involves a one-page memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the fighting and establishing a framework for negotiations on Iran's nuclear program.

Iran's foreign ministry said its response called for ending the war on all fronts, including Lebanon, halting the US naval blockade on Iranian ports and securing the release of Iranian assets frozen abroad under longstanding sanctions.

It did not elaborate on what Iran would offer in return.

On Tuesday, the spokesman for Iran's parliamentary national security commission said lawmakers would consider the possibility of enriching uranium to weapons-grade levels if conflict resumed.

"One of Iran's options in the event of another attack could be 90 percent enrichment. We will examine it in parliament," Ebrahim Rezaei wrote in a post on X.

Tehran possesses a significant stockpile of uranium enriched to 60 percent purity, with roughly 90 percent required for a nuclear weapon.

Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium remains a key sticking point in negotiations with the United States, which insists the material must be transferred out of the country.

Iran has so far refused to move its enriched uranium stockpile abroad and insists on its right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy, though it has said the level of enrichment remains "negotiable".



Kremlin Says Preparations for Putin Visit to China are in Final Stages

FILED - 26 July 2023, Russia, Saint Petersburg: FILE PHOTO - Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov attends a meeting at the Konstantinovsky Palace. Photo: Vladimir Smirnov/KREMLIN/dpa
FILED - 26 July 2023, Russia, Saint Petersburg: FILE PHOTO - Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov attends a meeting at the Konstantinovsky Palace. Photo: Vladimir Smirnov/KREMLIN/dpa
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Kremlin Says Preparations for Putin Visit to China are in Final Stages

FILED - 26 July 2023, Russia, Saint Petersburg: FILE PHOTO - Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov attends a meeting at the Konstantinovsky Palace. Photo: Vladimir Smirnov/KREMLIN/dpa
FILED - 26 July 2023, Russia, Saint Petersburg: FILE PHOTO - Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov attends a meeting at the Konstantinovsky Palace. Photo: Vladimir Smirnov/KREMLIN/dpa

The Kremlin said on Tuesday that preparations ‌were ‌in the ‌final ⁠stages for a visit ⁠by President Vladimir Putin ⁠to ‌China.

Kremlin spokesman ‌Dmitry Peskov ‌said ‌the timing of the ‌visit would be announced ⁠in due ⁠course.

Relations between Russia and China have deepened significantly in recent years, with the two countries expanding cooperation in trade, energy, defense, and diplomacy while presenting their partnership as a counterbalance to Western influence.


UK’s Starmer Defies Calls to Quit, Says He Is Getting on with Governing

 11 May 2026, United Kingdom, London: UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer giving a speech at the Coin Street Neighbourhood Centre in Waterloo, London, as he sets out the next steps he is taking in his plan to build a stronger, fairer Britain. (James Manning/PA Wire/dpa)
11 May 2026, United Kingdom, London: UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer giving a speech at the Coin Street Neighbourhood Centre in Waterloo, London, as he sets out the next steps he is taking in his plan to build a stronger, fairer Britain. (James Manning/PA Wire/dpa)
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UK’s Starmer Defies Calls to Quit, Says He Is Getting on with Governing

 11 May 2026, United Kingdom, London: UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer giving a speech at the Coin Street Neighbourhood Centre in Waterloo, London, as he sets out the next steps he is taking in his plan to build a stronger, fairer Britain. (James Manning/PA Wire/dpa)
11 May 2026, United Kingdom, London: UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer giving a speech at the Coin Street Neighbourhood Centre in Waterloo, London, as he sets out the next steps he is taking in his plan to build a stronger, fairer Britain. (James Manning/PA Wire/dpa)

Prime Minister Keir Starmer defied calls to resign on Tuesday, telling ministers he would "get on with governing" despite a "destabilizing" 48 hours of growing calls to set out a timetable for his departure after an election drubbing.

At a meeting of his cabinet team of ministers, ‌Starmer, in the top ‌job for less than two years, ‌repeated ⁠that while he ⁠took responsibility for one of his Labour Party's worst election defeats, there had been no official move to trigger a leadership contest.

"The past 48 hours have been destabilizing for government and that has a real economic cost for our country and for families," Starmer told ministers, according to his Downing Street office.

"The ⁠country expects us to get on with ‌governing. That is what I ‌am doing and what we must do as a Cabinet."

British government ‌bonds rallied weakly on Starmer's comments, but remained firmly ‌in the red for the day.

His defiance was in marked contrast to the feelings of many in his Labour Party.

On Tuesday, a junior minister resigned after a handful of ministerial aides also ‌left the government. More than 80 Labour lawmakers have publicly called for him to set ⁠a resignation ⁠date so the party could install a new leader in an orderly manner.

Starmer had sought to shore up his position on Monday when he promised to act more boldly and with more urgency to tackle Britain's many problems.

He had said the country would never forgive the center-left Labour Party if it embarked on a leadership challenge, just two years after its huge parliamentary majority was supposed to bring an end to the political chaos that had gripped the country since Britain voted to leave the European Union 10 years ago.


Brazilian Flotilla Activist Returns Home, Alleges Torture During Israel Detention

 Brazilian activist Thiago Avila, a member of the Global Sumud flotilla, arrives at Guarulhos International Airport in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on May 11, 2026. (AFP)
Brazilian activist Thiago Avila, a member of the Global Sumud flotilla, arrives at Guarulhos International Airport in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on May 11, 2026. (AFP)
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Brazilian Flotilla Activist Returns Home, Alleges Torture During Israel Detention

 Brazilian activist Thiago Avila, a member of the Global Sumud flotilla, arrives at Guarulhos International Airport in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on May 11, 2026. (AFP)
Brazilian activist Thiago Avila, a member of the Global Sumud flotilla, arrives at Guarulhos International Airport in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on May 11, 2026. (AFP)

Brazilian activist Thiago Avila returned to Sao Paulo on Monday following his detention and deportation from Israel, where he alleged he was tortured and witnessed abuses of Palestinian prisoners during 10 days in custody.

Avila and Spanish national Abu Keshek were part of the second Global Sumud Flotilla that launched from Spain on April 12 attempting to break Israel's blockade of Gaza ‌by delivering aid. The ‌two men were arrested and taken ‌to ⁠Israel after Israeli forces ⁠intercepted the flotilla, while more than 100 other pro-Palestinian activists were taken to Crete.

They were held under suspicion of offences including aiding the enemy and contact with a terrorist group. Both denied the allegations. They were released on Saturday and handed to immigration authorities for deportation.

"My return was simply a correction of a ⁠serious violation. I was kidnapped by Israel, I ‌wasn't imprisoned," Avila told reporters ‌after his arrival at Sao Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport.

Avila claimed that he and ‌Abu Keshek suffered "all kinds of violations" during their detention, ‌adding that Palestinian prisoners in nearby cells experienced worse treatment.

Israel dismissed claims by human rights group Adalah, which represented the men in a court hearing in Israel, that the men had been tortured ‌in custody, and said all measures taken were in accordance with the law.

The governments of ⁠Spain and ⁠Brazil have said the detention was unlawful.

"We need to defeat (Israeli Prime Minister) Netanyahu and (US President) Donald Trump, we need to defeat the war criminals," Avila said as supporters held signs calling for Brazil to cut ties with Israel.

Gaza is largely run by Palestinian group Hamas, which is designated as a terrorist group by Israel and much of the West.

The group's October 7, 2023, attack on Israel started the Gaza war that has left much of the enclave's population homeless and dependent on aid - that humanitarian agencies say is arriving too slowly.