The Trump administration appeared unlikely Tuesday to accept Iran’s offer to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for lifting the U.S. blockade, a proposal delivered to Washington via Pakistan.
Iran’s plan would postpone talks about its nuclear program, focusing first on ending hostilities and resolving disputes over Gulf shipping and the U.S. naval blockade. U.S. officials say nuclear issues must be addressed up front. In a Fox News interview, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon remains “the core issue” and said any agreement must stop Tehran from racing toward a bomb.
The White House said President Donald Trump’s national security team discussed the offer and that Trump would address it later. A U.S. official briefed on Trump’s meeting with advisers said the president was unhappy with the Iranian proposal because it sought to set the nuclear question aside.
Diplomatic movements: Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said he was pleased to engage with Russian leadership as the region undergoes “major flux.” Araghchi met President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg, where Putin praised Iranian resistance to defend sovereignty. Pakistan carried the Iranian proposal to Washington.
Regional and global fallout: China’s leadership has pledged to bolster energy security and accelerate technological self-sufficiency as the U.S.-Israeli campaign against Iran begins to affect the global economy. Beijing reported 5.0% growth in the first quarter and is emphasizing diversified energy supplies amid the crisis.
Iran has signaled readiness to share defensive weapons capabilities with “independent countries,” particularly members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, according to Deputy Defence Minister Reza Talaei-Nik.
Humanitarian impact: The conflict is worsening humanitarian crises. In Somalia, where nearly half a million children under five suffer severe acute malnutrition, shipping disruptions and cuts in foreign aid have led to shortages of lifesaving therapeutic foods and forced clinics to ration or turn away patients.
Details of the proposal: Senior Iranian officials told Reuters the staged plan delivered by Araghchi would begin with ending the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran and providing guarantees against its resumption. Next steps would address the U.S. naval blockade and the fate of the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran aims to reopen under conditions it controls. Only after resolving those issues would negotiators turn to Iran’s nuclear program.
As of Tuesday, U.S. leaders signaled resistance to postponing nuclear talks, leaving prospects for a deal uncertain as diplomatic exchanges continue.
