Iran-US war latest: Trump says Tehran’s response to his peace proposal is ‘totally unacceptable’

US president Donald Trump has said he has read Iran’s response to his peace plan, calling it “totally unacceptable”.

As we’ve been reporting today, Tehran has sent its response to the US via Pakistan, which has been acting as mediator.

It’s not yet known exactly what it says.

Writing on his Truth Social platform, Mr Trump said: “I have just read the response from Iran’s so-called ‘Representatives.’

“I don’t like it — TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE! Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DONALD J. TRUMP”

A Qatari tanker carrying liquid natural gas successfully crossed the Strait of Hormuz for the first time since the war in Iran broke out.

The Al Kharaitiyat, which is headed to Pakistan, made the crossing via the Iranian-approved route near Qeshm island.

Shipping data shows it is currently located in the Gulf of Oman, and is due to arrive at the Qasim Port on Monday.

As Xi Jinping prepares to host Donald Trump in Beijing, America’s allies are confronting an unsettling reality: Washington no longer looks dependable, says Ben Judah:

Iran’s Oil Terminals Company denied reports of an oil leak near Kharg Island on Sunday, according to state media, after satellite imagery this week appeared to show a large slick west of the country’s main oil export hub in the Gulf.

The ​company’s ⁠chief executive ‌said inspections had found no evidence of leaks from ‌storage tanks, pipelines, ‌loading facilities or tankers operating near the island.

He added ⁠that the Marine Emergency Mutual Aid Centre (MEMAC), a regional marine pollution body, had also reported no sign of leakage in the area.

The ‌official said Iranian teams ​had conducted additional field ‌inspections and ⁠laboratory testing after ⁠the reports emerged and had not ‌identified “even ​the smallest trace” ‌of leakage.

The US will evaluate Iran’s response to its peace plan proposal to its “very clear red line”, the American ambassador to the UN has stated.

Speaking to Fox News, Mike Waltz said: “We’ll see what the Iranians just came back with overnight in terms of their response to our very clear red line.

“President Trump has been clear they will never have a nuclear weapon and they cannot hold the world’s economies hostage.”

The US ambassador to the UN has insisted that the ongoing closure of the Strait of Hormuz is not a sign of weakness or failure from the US, despite Donald Trump’s demands for Iran to open it.

Mike Waltz told ABC: “I think we should take a step back: 50 days to deal with a 50-year-old problem. And, by the way, this isn’t the first time Iran has either threatened or actually done this.

“That’s why we’re pushing now another UN resolution that says Iran cannot do this. No country can do what Iran is doing in international waterways.”

Asked whether the US president’s threats have proven to be empty, Mr Waltz responded: “I’ve got to push back. Something did happen. President Trump put in a blockade with our great US Navy that has stopped Iranian shipping, both coming out and, importantly, the empty tankers coming in that they need for storage. We see now Iran’s economy in absolute free-fall.

“To your point on the ceasefire, look, that’s up to President Trump, as commander in chief, to determine what constitutes a violation, when to go back to military action, or when to continue to give diplomacy a chance”.

A Royal Navy warship is being sent to the Middle East to be ready to join an international mission to safeguard shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

It comes as Iran’s deputy foreign minister said British and French warships in the Strait of Hormuz “will be met with decisive response”.

Type 45 destroyer HMS Dragon will “pre-position” in the region, ready to join the UK and French-led initiative once hostilities cease between Iran and US-Israeli forces.

A fragile ceasefire remains in place, although attacks on Friday saw US forces hit two Iranian tankers that were trying to breach the blockade imposed by Donald Trump.

The proposed mission championed by Sir Keir Starmer and French president Emmanuel Macron would involve a coalition of nations willing to ensure freedom of navigation in the strait, a vital route for global oil and gas supplies along with other goods including fertiliser.

A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: “We can confirm that HMS Dragon will deploy to the Middle East to pre-position ahead of any future multinational mission to protect international shipping when conditions allow them to transit the Strait of Hormuz.

“The pre-positioning of HMS Dragon is part of prudent planning that will ensure that the UK is ready, as part of a multinational coalition jointly led by the UK and France, to secure the strait, when conditions allow.”

Pakistan has received Iran’s response to the US’s proposal on the Iran war and the response has been sent to the US, a Pakistani government official involved in the talks said on Sunday.

The source ‌did not provide ‌further detail about the proposal.

This comes ⁠after Iranian state media reported on Sunday that Iran had sent its response to ‌a US proposal to ‌begin ⁠peace talks to end ⁠the war.

Our Washington Correspondent John Bowden reports:

President Donald Trump has a “better” understanding of the Bible’s lessons than Pope Leo, a conservative Christian pastor has claimed.

Tensions have flared in recent months after the Pope urged Catholics to pray for a peaceful resolution to the Iran war amid the U.S. president’s threats to “end” Iranian civilization – but he did not mention Trump by name.

Trump then posted a series of angry messages on his Truth Social platform, calling the Pope “weak” on crime and accusing him of not understanding the threat posed by Iran’s nuclear weapons program.

According to Jeffress, one of Trump’s longtime backers in the evangelical community, the differing stances amount to Trump being more of a Christian leader than the head of the Catholic church.

“The Pope is a good man, he’s sincere in his faith, but he’s sincerely wrong when it comes to Iran,” he told Fox News.