President Donald Trump [Photo courtesy of Reuters News]

Negotiations aimed at ending the war between the United States and Iran collapsed once again on the 10th (local time), casting uncertainty over a breakthrough toward peace.

U.S. President Donald Trump stated on his social media platform, Truth Social, "I just read the response from Iran's so-called 'representatives.' I don't like it. It's completely unacceptable."

The U.S. had sent a proposal for an end to hostilities to Iran, and Iran, through Pakistan as a mediator, delivered its response on this day. However, President Trump expressed his dissatisfaction, effectively declaring the virtual negotiations at an impasse.

Although high-ranking officials from both countries met in Islamabad, Pakistan, on the 11th-12th of last month, leading to a negotiation that concluded with 'no deal,' the peace talks, which had been ongoing behind the scenes with Pakistan's mediation, have once again failed to find common ground and have returned to square one.

Earlier, when U.S. online outlet Axios reported on the 6th that discussions were underway for a one-page Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) outlining the basic principles of a peace and nuclear deal, as a precursor to final negotiations, and that a 30-day period for detailed peace talks would follow its signing, the negotiations seemed to be gaining momentum.

The draft MOU, composed of 14 articles, reportedly included, in broad terms, a moratorium on Iran's uranium enrichment for 12-15 years, easing of U.S. sanctions on Iran and release of frozen assets, and relaxation of restrictions on passage through the Strait of Hormuz.

President Trump had subsequently stated that the possibility of reaching an agreement with Iran was "very high" and had mentioned on the 8th, "We will probably receive a letter (from Iran) tonight."

However, it appears that in its response delivered to the U.S. on this day, Iran did not provide a level satisfactory to President Trump. Instead of accepting U.S. demands, it presented a "counter-proposal" with more demands favorable to itself.

While President Trump did not disclose the specific contents of Iran's response, Iran's semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported that Iran demanded, as key conditions for ending hostilities, a halt to all fronts of war, an end to the U.S. naval blockade on Iran, and the lifting of the 30-day ban on Iranian crude oil sales.

This has led to speculation that Iran has postponed negotiations related to denuclearization until after the cessation of hostilities and has reiterated its preconditions for ending the war.

The breakdown of these negotiations once again highlights the significant gap in how both sides perceive the current situation.

From President Trump's perspective, with Iran's military capabilities significantly diminished due to the "Grand Fury" operation that began on February 28th, and with the U.S. naval blockade and further sanctions tightening Iran's war funding, he believes Iran has no choice but to accept U.S. demands.

Conversely, Iran, still possessing naval power to disrupt the passage of tankers and other commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, is showing little sign of backing down. Believing that a prolonged conflict would not be unfavorable to them, given the surge in international oil prices and domestic energy prices, which puts greater political pressure on President Trump ahead of the November midterm elections, they appear to see a war of attrition as a viable strategy.

Ultimately, with the collapse of negotiations once again on this day, attention is focused on what choices President Trump will make moving forward.

While President Trump did not present specific measures on this day, he has previously suggested a "resumption of hostilities" in the event of a failure to reach an agreement with Iran.

In an interview with U.S. public broadcaster PBS on the 6th, he stated, "We will have to bomb the hell out of them again" if an agreement is not reached.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, who served as the first National Security Advisor in the second Trump administration, also said in a broadcast interview on this day that President Trump "is giving every possible opportunity to diplomacy before returning to hostilities. But he is certainly prepared to do so (resume attacks on Iran)."

However, there are also considerable skeptical views as to whether President Trump will indeed resume attacks on Iran, given the very unfavorable public opinion within the U.S. regarding a war with Iran. Therefore, many analysts interpret the strong remarks from President Trump and his close associates as pressure tactics against Iran.

In other words, the prospect is that President Trump will continue back-channel negotiations while further intensifying economic pressure, rather than resuming attacks on Iran.

Secretary of State and National Security Advisor Mike Pompeo had already declared on the 5th at a White House briefing that the "Grand Fury" operation had achieved its objectives and concluded.

In this context, the possibility of resuming "Project Freedom," which involves the U.S. continuing its counter-blockade of Iran in the Strait of Hormuz while mobilizing troops to assist civilian vessels trapped in the strait, is also being discussed.

President Trump had declared the implementation of this project on the 4th, only to abruptly suspend it the following day, citing progress in negotiations with Iran.

For President Trump, his upcoming visit to China from the 13th to the 15th and his summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the 14th can serve as an opportunity to indirectly pressure Iran.

Given that China, Iran's largest crude oil importer, has acted as a financial lifeline for Iran, which is facing economic difficulties due to various international sanctions, and has also been rumored to have exported weapons, he could demand that President Xi cease such actions and persuade Iran to accept the U.S. proposal for peace.

A senior U.S. official stated in a pre-call briefing for President Trump's visit to China on this day, "I expect (President) Trump to put pressure on (President Xi)."