PANews reported on May 18 that, according to US media outlet Axios, a senior US official and a source familiar with the matter stated that Iran has submitted an updated ceasefire proposal, but the White House believes the proposal lacks substantial improvements and is insufficient to reach an agreement. US officials indicated that Trump wants to end the war with an agreement, but because Iran has rejected many of his demands and refused to make meaningful concessions on its nuclear program, he is considering resuming the war. US officials stated that if Iran does not change its position, the US will have to continue negotiations “with bombs.” The senior US official stated: “We haven’t actually made much progress. The Iranians need to show sincerity. We need to have a real, solid, and detailed dialogue on the nuclear program. If dialogue fails, we will have to talk with bombs, which would be a regrettable thing.”