Iran war: Trump says ceasefire 'on life support'

What you need to know

• Donald Trump has rejected Iran's proposal and warned that the ceasefire is on 'life support'
• The speaker of the Iranian parliament says Tehran is ready to 'teach a lesson' if attacked
• Media reports suggest that the UAE has been secretly carrying out attacks on Iran

Welcome to DW's coverage of the Iran war and its impact on the wider Middle East and around the world on Tuesday, 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.

Trump rejects Iran's proposal, says ceasefire 'on life support'

US President Donald Trump said that a ceasefire with Iran was "on life support" after rejecting Tehran's latest response to a US peace proposal as "totally unaaceptable."

When asked about the status of the ceasefire on Monday, Trump told reporters: "I would call it the weakest right now, after reading that piece of garbage they sent us. I didn't even finish reading it."

"The ceasefire is on massive life support, where the doctor walks in and says, 'Sir, your loved one has approximately a one percent chance of living,'" the US president said.

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

Welcome to our coverage

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.