Donald Trump Warns Iran ‘Clock Is Ticking’ as Peace Talks Stall

US President Donald Trump warned Iran that “the clock is ticking” as efforts to reach a peace agreement remained stalled, posting on Truth Social that “They better get moving, FAST, or there won’t be anything left of them. TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!”

The warning came as Trump delayed planned strikes on Iran after a “very positive development” in talks, while he said there was “a very good chance” a deal could prevent Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

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In the same reporting stream, the ceasefire described as in place since 8 April to support negotiations followed large-scale strikes that began on 28 February when US and Israeli forces launched strikes against Iran.

Al Jazeera also framed the standoff around Pakistan’s mediation, saying Islamabad was scrambling to keep channels open between the United States and Iran amid escalating rhetoric and signals from Washington that it was prepared to restart attacks that had been on pause since an April 8 ceasefire.

Against that backdrop, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran’s views on ending the war had been “conveyed to the American side through Pakistan,” while giving no details.

Trump said the US would be “probably satisfied” if it could reach an agreement with Iran that prevents Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, adding that he was asked by Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE and some others if the US could put off planned strikes for 2 or 3 days.

In the Guardian’s account of the negotiations, a senior Iranian source described an Iranian proposal that appeared similar to Iran’s previous offer Trump rejected as “garbage,” focusing first on securing an end to the war, reopening the strait of Hormuz, and lifting maritime sanctions.

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The Guardian also reported that the senior Iranian source said the US agreed to release a quarter of Iran’s frozen funds—totalling tens of billions of dollars—held in foreign banks, while the US had not confirmed that it agreed to anything in the negotiations.

Al Jazeera, meanwhile, quoted Baghaei saying that despite Trump publicly calling Iran’s response “totally unacceptable,” Washington had sent “a set of revised points and considerations” through Pakistani mediators and that “The process is continuing through Pakistan.”

The same Al Jazeera report said Iran’s state-run Tasnim news agency described Iran’s submission to Pakistan as including a 14-point proposal, while also noting that tensions continued to mount as drones struck near the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant in the United Arab Emirates.

CBS News reported that Trump called off what he described as a scheduled attack on Iran, saying the decision was made because “serious negotiations” were taking place toward a peace deal acceptable to the U.S. and countries in the Middle East.

“Ships remain anchored on May 16, 2026 in the Strait of Hormuz near Larak Island, Iran”

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CBS also quoted Trump’s warning that the US military would be prepared to “go forward with a full, large scale assault of Iran, on a moment’s notice” if an acceptable deal was not reached, even as it said “nothing has changed” regarding Iran and its nuclear program.

BBC reporting tied the market and policy stakes to the Strait of Hormuz, saying around a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas usually passes through the narrow shipping route and that oil prices reacted to signs of progress or lack of it toward a peace deal that would reopen the strait.

In parallel, Al Jazeera said the ceasefire had been in effect 40 days ago and that both sides had exchanged proposals, rejected each other’s core demands, and increasingly shifted to the language of military escalation, with renewed hostilities now a real possibility.

The Guardian’s account added that contentious issues around Iran’s nuclear programme and uranium enrichment would be deferred to later rounds of talks, while the senior Iranian source said Washington had shown more flexibility on allowing some peaceful nuclear activity under supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency.