Iran says US demands for ending war 'excessive'
Pro-government demonstrators wave Iranian flags during their gathering at a square in downtown Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, May 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
Tehran accused the United States of "excessive demands", Iranian media said on May 23, as U.S. media reports raised the prospect that Washington was mulling new strikes and leaders of the Islamic republic considered the latest peace proposal.
Pakistan's powerful army chief arrived in Tehran on Friday to bolster mediation and U.S. President Donald Trump abruptly changed his plans to skip his son's wedding to stay in Washington due to "circumstances pertaining to government", fuelling speculation that the situation had entered a sensitive stage.
Trump has described the stop-start negotiations this week as teetering on the "borderline" between renewed attacks and a deal to end the war, which began with U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran on Feb. 28 and led to competing blockades around the strategic Strait of Hormuz that have roiled the global economy.
