Iran's proposal was reviewed during President Donald Trump's meeting with his national security team at the Situation Room, White House Press Secretary said.
"The President's red lines with respect to Iran have been made very, very clear, not just to the American public, but also to them as well," Karoline Leavitt added.
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council has held a meeting to address growing concerns among security agencies over a possible resurgence of protests, sources familiar with the discussions told Iran International.
The meeting, chaired by Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, was convened following internal assessments and intelligence reports warning of potential unrest in the coming days, the sources said.
According to information presented at the meeting, officials believe mounting economic hardship—driven by rising prices, unemployment, and damage to key industries such as petrochemicals and steel—could become the main trigger for renewed protests.
Security agencies reportedly presented a highly critical picture of Iran’s economy, highlighting widespread job losses linked to the shutdown of industrial units in the oil, petrochemical, and steel sectors, as well as the impact of prolonged internet disruptions.
Estimates shared during the meeting suggested that Iran’s economy may not be able to withstand more than six to eight weeks of a naval blockade. The blockade began on April 13, and around two weeks have now passed.
Another major concern raised was the near-total shutdown of production centers in key sectors, including oil, petrochemicals, and steel. According to the assessments, rebuilding these industries could take years.
Security officials also said internet shutdowns have left around 20% of the workforce dependent on online activity unemployed. They warned that, based on economic forecasts, an additional two million people could lose their jobs in the private sector by the end of spring.
In the financial sector, the closure of markets—including banks, the stock exchange, gold markets, and currency exchanges—has effectively halted economic activity, leaving real prices for goods unclear.
During the meeting, representatives of security bodies expressed particular concern over a possible call for protests by exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi and the likelihood of his supporters taking to the streets.
Renewed protests inevitable
According to sources familiar with the meeting, security agencies concluded that public protests are inevitable, with the only uncertainty being the timing of their outbreak.
Calls for protests around International Workers’ Day have further heightened concerns among officials and were discussed during the council meeting.
Workers, retirees, teachers, and other wage-earning groups have repeatedly staged protests or issued statements over living conditions, delayed payments, job insecurity, and the suppression of independent labor organizations.
Ahead of International Workers’ Day, labor groups inside and outside Iran have again emphasized demands including wage increases, the release of detained labor activists, the repeal of repressive rulings, and the right to form independent unions.
Sources said members of the Supreme National Security Council believe that protests occurring during ongoing talks with the United States or following an extension of the ceasefire could pose a real risk to the survival of the Islamic Republic.
Iran has experienced several waves of protests, strikes, and civil disobedience in recent years, often driven by economic hardship, inflation, and widespread dissatisfaction with living conditions.
Authorities have responded with widespread internet disruptions, communication restrictions, deployment of security forces, and, in some cases, violent crackdowns.
The most brutal crackdown came on January 8 and 9, when at least 36,500 people were killed after millions of protesters held rallies across the country following a call by Pahlavi.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said internal divisions within Iran’s leadership and the dominance of hardline clerics remain major impediments to reaching an agreement with Tehran.
Speaking to Fox News, Rubio described Iran as a system “run by radical Shia clerics,” adding that deepening fractures within its political structure have made negotiations more difficult.
He dismissed the common distinction between moderates and hardliners in Iran, arguing that “they’re all hardliners,” but said there are competing factions with different priorities.
According to Rubio, one group within the system—comprising political figures such as the president, foreign minister, and parliament speaker—recognizes the need to manage the economy and ensure basic governance.
In contrast, he said, more ideologically driven figures, including elements within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the leadership surrounding the supreme leader, are motivated primarily by theology and less concerned with economic realities.
“The hardliners that are motivated by theology… have the ultimate power in that country,” Rubio said, describing what he called a longstanding tension between pragmatic governance and ideological rigidity.
He added that the internal divide appears more pronounced now, pointing to uncertainty surrounding Ali Khamenei, whose “credibility is still untested” and whose public absence has raised questions about access and authority.
Rubio said the fragmented nature of Iran’s leadership complicates diplomacy, as US negotiators must effectively contend with multiple centers of power.
“Our negotiators aren’t just negotiating with the Iranians,” he said. “Those Iranians then have to negotiate with other Iranians” to determine what positions they can ultimately agree to.
Iran has been elected as a vice president of the ongoing NPT Review Conference in New York, the country’s mission to the UN said, even though the country is in violation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, according to the UN nuclear watchdog.
Last year, the 35-member board of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), adopted a resolution declaring that Iran is in breach of its non-proliferation obligations for the first time since 2005.
The IAEA said at the time Iran had consistently failed to provide information about undeclared nuclear material and activities at multiple locations.
The Iran Mission to the UN in Vienna said on Monday the appointment reflects what it described as Iran’s role and advocacy for a world free of nuclear weapons.
More than 80 countries issued a joint statement led by Bahrain ahead of a meeting of the United Nations Security Council, condemning Iran’s actions in the region and disruptions to international shipping.
The statement voiced support for Resolution 2817 which condemned Iran's "egregious attacks" on its Arab neighbors. The statement also criticized what it described as actions by the Islamic Republic that threaten freedom of navigation, stressing that the principle must not be undermined under any circumstances.
Signatories rejected any attempts to restrict the passage of vessels or impose tolls, calling such measures a violation of international law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
The statement also warned of the global consequences of Iran’s actions, saying they have disrupted maritime transport, driven up costs, and sent shockwaves through energy markets and supply chains.
It added that the impact has been especially severe for vulnerable countries, including those facing food insecurity.
New intelligence obtained by Iran International reveals the identities of operatives in an IRGC-linked espionage and assassination network, including a foreign cleric trained in Qom who allegedly coordinated attacks targeting Israeli and Western interests.
A European intelligence source provided Iran International with new details about the IRGC-linked espionage, sabotage and assassination network operating across several countries.
According to the source, the activities were overseen by an officer in the covert unit identified as Alireza Mohammadi, who allegedly operated under the alias Meghdad Hassani.
The source said Mohammadi recruited and directed individuals tasked with intelligence gathering, surveillance and reconnaissance against targets in Israel as well as US military installations in other countries.
According to information obtained by Iran International, one operative allegedly working under Mohammadi’s supervision is Elshad Hajiyev, a 37-year-old citizen of a neighboring country also known as Akram Haji-Zadeh.
Haji-Zadeh is said to have studied as a cleric at Al-Mustafa International University in Qom, an institution sanctioned by the US Treasury in 2020 for being "used as a recruitment platform by the IRGC-QF for intelligence collection and operations, including recruitment for the IRGC-QF-led foreign militias."
The European intelligence source told Iran International that Haji-Zadeh played a leading role in a cell recently dismantled in a neighboring country. Mossad has separately announced that it dismantled what it described as an Iranian-linked network in one of Iran’s neighboring states.
According to the source, the network’s alleged targets included an oil pipeline, a synagogue, the Israeli embassy and prominent members of the Jewish community. In April 2024, Haji-Zadeh appeared twice as a guest on the television program Helal, broadcast on Iran’s Channel One and produced in cooperation with Al-Mustafa.
Israeli and Western intelligence officials have in recent years alleged that members or affiliates of Al-Mustafa have been involved in covert operations in countries including Senegal, Uganda and elsewhere in Africa.
A wider campaign against Unit 4000
The alleged disruption of the network comes amid what appears to be an escalating Israeli campaign against IRGC intelligence and sabotage units over the past six weeks.
These groups were reportedly overseen by Majid Khademi, head of IRGC Intelligence, who was killed on April 6 in what Israeli officials described as a targeted strike.
Last week, Mossad, Shin Bet and the Israeli military said they had killed Rahman Moghaddam, head of the Special Operations Department of the IRGC Intelligence Organization—known as Unit 4000—along with two other members of the unit in the early days of strikes on Iran.
A source inside Iran told Iran International that Moghaddam—previously deputy coordinator of intelligence protection at Iran’s Ministry of Defense—was killed around midday on March 3 in a strike on a residential tower in Tehran’s Kowsar Complex on Artesh Boulevard.
Another senior figure, Mohsen Souri, who Israeli officials say was involved in training local cells outside Iran, was also reportedly killed.
Mossad and Shin Bet said they located his safe house and killed him along with other IRGC members in what they described as a precise intelligence operation. On March 30, Iranian state media outlets IRNA and Tasnim published footage of his funeral in Karaj without mentioning his alleged role.
Another alleged Unit 4000 operative, Mehdi Yekeh-Dehghan—known as “Doctor”—was also reportedly killed in a separate operation. Israeli officials say he was responsible for operations in Turkey and for transferring suicide drones to Cyprus.
According to intelligence cited by prosecutors in Turkey, Yekeh-Dehghan and another Iranian officer, Najaf Rostami, were linked to a network accused of planning surveillance and possible attacks on the US airbase at Incirlik.
On January 29, Turkish authorities arrested six people accused of spying for Iranian intelligence. One of them, Ashkan Jalali, was accused of attempting to smuggle armed drones to Cyprus through his companies.
In recent years, Israel has repeatedly claimed to have disrupted IRGC and Quds Force plots abroad through intelligence operations and targeted killings.
If confirmed, the latest allegations would suggest Israel’s recent campaign has extended beyond missile sites and military commanders into the covert infrastructure Iran has built overseas over years.
