Iran offered to end its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz if the US lifts its blockade on the country and ends the war in a proposal that would postpone discussions on the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program, two regional officials said.
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US President Donald Trump seems unlikely to accept the offer, which was passed to the Americans by Pakistan and would leave unresolved the disagreements that led the US and Israel to go to war on February 28.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump’s national security team met overnight and was discussing Iran’s proposal. But she offered no detail about the discussion or how the proposal was received. She said Trump would address it later.
With a fragile ceasefire in place, the US and Iran are locked in a stand-off over the strait, through which a fifth of the world’s traded oil and gas passes in peacetime. The US blockade is designed to prevent Iran from selling its oil, depriving it of crucial revenue while also potentially creating a situation where Tehran has to shut off production because it has nowhere to store oil.
The strait’s closure, meanwhile, has put pressure on Trump, as oil and petrol prices have skyrocketed ahead of crucial midterm elections, and it has affected his Gulf allies, who use the waterway to export their oil and gas.
AP