After rejecting Tehran's response to the US peace proposal, President Donald Trump warned that the ceasefire in the war with Iran was "on life support." Follow DW for the latest.
Skip next section Iran says it is ready 'to teach a lesson' if attacked 05/12/2026 May 12, 2026 Iran says it is ready 'to teach a lesson' if attacked After US President Donald Trump warned that the ceasefire in the Middle East was "on life support," Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said that his country's military was ready to "teach a lesson" to any aggressor.
"Our armed forces are ready to respond and to teach a lesson for any aggression," Qalibaf said on X.
"A bad strategy and bad decisions always lead to bad results. The world already understands this," he added.
In another post several hours later, Qalibaf said there was "no alternative" but for Washington to accept Iran's 14-point peace proposal.
"Any other approach will be completely inconclusive; nothing but one failure after another," he wrote.
"The longer they drag their feet, the more American taxpayers will pay for it." Donald Trump's rejection of Iran's proposals has fueled concerns that hostilities with Iran may resume, further destabilizing global energy markets already in chaos due to the war.
In its response, released on Sunday, Tehran called for an end to the war on all fronts, including in Lebanon, demanded compensation for war damage and emphasized its sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran also called on the US to end its naval blockade, guarantee that there would be no further attacks, lift sanctions, and remove the ban on Iranian oil sales.
Washington had proposed an end to the fighting as a precursor to negotiations on more contentious issues, including Iran's nuclear program.
Iran responds to US ceasefire proposal To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video https://p.dw.com/p/5Dc15 Skip next section Welcome to our coverage 05/12/2026 May 12, 2026 Welcome to our coverage Zac Crellin Editor Welcome to DW's ongoing coverage of the conflict in the Middle East .
On Sunday, Iran released its response to Washington's proposal to reopen negotiations.
In it, Tehran called for an end to the war on all fronts, including in Lebanon, where Israel — an ally of the US — is fighting Hezbollah militants backed by Iran.
However, on Monday this response was swiftly rejected by US President Donald Trump, as the two sides remain far apart on a number of issues.
Stay tuned for more news and analysis.
