Trump rejects Iran's latest proposal as he reviews new military options to relaunch war

Welcome to the NewsHour.

Iran today submitted a new proposal to the U.S. aimed at breaking a diplomatic deadlock.

But President Trump rejected it and said he's reviewing new military options to relaunch

the war.

It's been 60 days since the war began, which means today is a legal deadline for the

administration to seek congressional authorization.

But the White House informed Congress it didn't need to get its approval, because the

war had been, quote, terminated during the current ceasefire.

Thanks, your friends.

Here he's been following all of this, so Nick, tell us more about what the president

said today.

On the President, not only rejected Iran's new proposal, he expressed a deep skepticism

that Iran could ever submit a proposal that would satisfy him.

So they want to make a deal, but I don't, I'm not satisfied with it, so we'll see what

happens.

They've made strides, but I'm not sure if they ever get there.

This tremendous, this score, this tremendous, they have a tremendous problem getting along

with each other in Iran.

So on the one hand, no deal and little prospect for a deal, but the president also acknowledged

yesterday receiving a briefing from his top Middle East commander, Admiral Brad Cooper,

what President Trump told Fox News is Peter Ducey were two main options.

Do we want to go and just blast the hell out of him and finish him forever, or do we

want to try and make a deal and then go to the up to do you want to go, blast the hell

out of him and revert it or not?

On a human basis, I prefer not, but that's the up to do we want to go in there, heavy and

just blast them away.

Or do we want to do something?

They're a very disjointed leadership, as you can understand, being a very disjointed,

I mean, they're not getting along with each other and it puts us in a bad position.

One group wants to make a certain deal, the other group wants to make a certain deal,

including the hardliners.

So all that said, a U.S. official tells me on it tonight, the options are actually not

as black and white as the president proposes.

This official says there is on the one hand little appetite by the administration to restart

the war in full, but at the same time, there is an impatience with what this official

called Iran dragging its feet.

So as always, there are multiple military options, including what the official said was one

that would try to accelerate a deal without blowing up the possibility of a deal and without

restarting the war in full.

And what that could be is trying to reopen the strait, trying to reduce Iran's ability

to launch drones, launch cruise missiles, at ships, at ports in the strait.

And while the economic pressure, while the diplomatic efforts would continue and remember,

the president and the military have many options, because there are still many U.S. military

assets in and around the Persian Gulf.

And there's still a U.S. blockade that the president and U.S. other officials really

believe are really choking Iran's economy.

So Iran's proposal that the president rejected, what do we know about what was in that proposal?

We don't know exactly, but for the president's, including not enough of a change from the

proposal that Iran submitted just last weekend that I reported, according to a regional

and Iranian official, was that if that Iran would reopen the strait, if the U.S. lifts

its blockade, unfreezes Iranian assets, and crucially, pauses any negotiation of Iran's

nuclear program.

President said today, Iran is asking for things that I can't agree to, but didn't provide

any specifics.

So, as you mentioned, today is that 60-day deadline required by the War Powers Act for

the White House to get congressional authorization to continue that war, they say they don't need

that authorization.

Why not?

Well, the president argued today the War Powers Act is unconstitutional, which is an argument

that every president, as you know, since Richard Nixon, since 1973 has made.

But the president's lawyers are taking it seriously, apparently, because the White House released

this letter that it sent to Congress, and it said this, quote, there has been no exchange

of fire between United States forces and Iran since April 7, 2026, the hostilities that

began on February 28, 2026 have terminated, terminated, even though, of course, I'm going

to say, we just talked about how the president said himself that he could restart the

war at any time.

We spoke to Harold Coe, professor of Yale Law School and President Obama's former top

State Department lawyer, and he said it's as if the president is trying to rewrite the

war powers resolution and add a pause button.

It's misunderstanding the text of the War Powers resolution, which says that 60 days after

U.S. armed forces are introduced, which is 60 days after February 28, the president shall

terminate any use of the U.S. armed forces that were made at that time.

In other words, pull all the troops that have been sent in out.

He's not doing that.

This is not a shot clock in basketball.

It's the game clock.

It's ticking down from 60 days, and those 60 days are up.

Now, all of a said, as of now, Republicans in Congress have not been willing to enforce

the war powers resolution.

There have been six votes so far that would have required the administration to withdraw

all U.S. military forces from war in Iran unless Congress authorized the use of military

force in Iran.

All six votes have failed, but our colleague, Lisa Desjardins, has been reporting that there

is private concern, private concern among Republicans that could become public votes against

the administration if the president were to relaunch full combat operations.

And Harold Coe argues the point here, the bottom line point here, is that even if Congress

isn't willing today to enforce the War Powers Act, it maintains the threat to do so.

The decision points will mount.

What this is like is when you've parked in a parking space and time is up.

You may not get a ticket for a while, but you're certainly under pressure to figure out

some kind of solution to legalize it or to get out.

And that's what he's feeling.

I mean, Milenick, some news lately about U.S. troops in Germany.

What's the latest?

The spokesperson for Pete Hegses, Secretary of Defense, has confirmed this afternoon to

me and other reporters that the U.S. will withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany.

They're about 36,000 or so troops in Germany right now, so 70,000 troops in Europe.

So a portion of what the U.S. has in Europe, of course, coming after a bit of a war of words

between President Trump and Chancellor of Germany, Frederick Mertz, merged criticizing the

President for not having an exit plan, President Chris sizing those comments.

And here you go, 5,000 troops withdraw over the next 6 to 12 months.

Next, Jeffrey, beginning our coverage tonight.

Next, thank you.

Thank you.