A new Iranian proposal, which has so far been rejected by U.S. President Donald Trump, includes reopening the Strait of Hormuz and ending the U.S. blockade on Iran, while postponing talks on Iran’s nuclear program to a later stage, a senior Iranian official said today.
Four weeks after the United States and Israel halted their bombing campaign against Iran, no agreement has yet been reached to end a conflict that has caused the greatest disruptions ever seen in global energy supply.
Iran has been blocking almost all maritime traffic from the Gulf except its own for more than two months. Last month, the United States imposed its own blockade on ships from Iranian ports.
Trump said on Friday that he was “not satisfied” with Iran’s latest proposal, without specifying which parts he opposed.
“They are asking for things I cannot agree to,” he told reporters at the White House.
Washington has repeatedly stated that it will not end the war without an agreement that permanently prevents Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon this was also the main objective cited by Trump when he launched strikes in February amid ongoing talks over Tehran’s nuclear program. Iran insists its nuclear program is peaceful.
Speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomacy, the senior Iranian official said Tehran believes its latest proposal to delay nuclear talks represents a significant shift aimed at facilitating an agreement.
Under the proposal, the war would end with guarantees that Israel and the United States would not attack again. Iran would reopen the strait, and the United States would lift its blockade.
Future negotiations would then take place on limiting Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief, with Iran demanding that Washington recognize its right to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes even if it agrees to suspend it.
“Under this framework, negotiations on the more complex issue of the nuclear program are moved to the final stage in order to create a more favorable climate,” the official said.
Reuters and other news agencies had already reported last week that Tehran proposed reopening the strait before resolving nuclear-related issues the official confirmed that this new timeline has now been included in a formal proposal conveyed to the United States through mediators.
Source: ANA-MPA / Reuters
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