Iran calls for deal on Strait of Hormuz, pushing off nuclear talks

Tehran reportedly proposes holding talks exclusively on the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, with nuclear talks pushed off until after an agreement is reached.

By World Israel News Staff

Iran has given the United States a new proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end the war while postponing nuclear negotiations until a later stage, Axios reported, citing a US official and two other sources with knowledge of the proposal.

The proposal comes as diplomacy between Washington and Tehran remains stalled, with Iranian leaders reportedly divided over what nuclear concessions they are prepared to offer.

According to the report, the plan was delivered to the US through Pakistani mediators after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi raised the idea during talks in Islamabad.

The proposal focuses first on ending the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz and lifting the US blockade, which has choked off Iran’s oil exports.

Under the plan, the current ceasefire would either be extended for a long period or turned into a permanent end to the war. Nuclear talks would begin only later, after the strait was reopened and the blockade lifted.

The arrangement could offer a faster path to de-escalation, but it would also remove much of President Donald Trump’s leverage before Iran agrees to suspend uranium enrichment or ship its enriched uranium stockpile out of the country.

Trump signaled Sunday that he intends to keep the blockade in place, telling Fox News that Iran’s oil system could soon face severe damage.

“When you have vast amounts of oil pouring through your system … if for any reason this line is closed because you can’t put it into containers or ships … what happens is that line explodes from within,” Trump said. “They say they only have about three days before that happens.”

The diplomatic crisis deepened over the weekend after Araghchi’s visit to Pakistan failed to produce progress.

The White House had said Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would meet Araghchi in Islamabad, but Trump later canceled the trip.

“I see no point of sending them on an 18-hour flight in the current situation,” Trump told Axios. “It’s too long. We can do it just as well by telephone. The Iranians can call us if they want. We are not gonna travel just to sit there.”

Araghchi later held talks with Omani officials in Muscat focused on the Strait of Hormuz, then returned to Islamabad for another round of talks. He was expected to travel Monday to Moscow for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The White House confirmed it had received the proposal but did not say whether it was prepared to consider it.

“These are sensitive diplomatic discussions, and the US will not negotiate through the press,” White House spokesperson Olivia Wales told Axios. “As the president has said, the United States holds the cards and will only make a deal that puts the American people first, never allowing Iran to have a nuclear weapon.”

Trump is expected to convene a Situation Room meeting on Iran with senior national security and foreign policy officials to discuss the stalemate and possible next steps.