US President Donald Trump on Wednesday rejected Iran's offer to loosen its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz if the US ends its military campaign and lifts an economic blockade, reported Axios. He further said that the blockade would stay in place.
According to the report, Trump also added that he would consider military action if Iran won't act.
The report by Axios also added that the US Central Command has prepared a short wave of strikes on Iran.
Iran has offered to loosen its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz if the United States ends its military campaign and lifts an economic blockade, according to two regional officials cited by The Associated Press on Monday. The proposal would postpone negotiations over Iran's nuclear program, a condition U.S. officials appear unwilling to accept.
The offer was delivered to US officials through Pakistan and comes amid a fragile ceasefire between Washington and Tehran, AP reported. However, US President Donald Trump is unlikely to embrace a deal that leaves unresolved the disputes that prompted US and Israeli strikes against Iran on Feb 28.
ALSO READ: Iran Offers To Reopen Hormuz — But Only If US Ends War And Blockade
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio signaled that any proposal sidelining Iran's nuclear program would fall short. Speaking to Fox News on Monday, Rubio stressed that nuclear restrictions must remain central to any agreement. “We can't let them get away with it,” Rubio said, according to AP. “We have to ensure that any deal that is made, any agreement that is made, is one that definitively prevents them from sprinting towards a nuclear weapon at any point.”
Under the Iranian proposal, talks on Tehran's nuclear activities would be deferred until the war formally ends and disputes over shipping in the Persian Gulf are resolved, the officials said. The United States has repeatedly said that nuclear issues must be addressed at the outset of any negotiations, AP reported.
The dispute has centered on the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway between Iran and Oman through which about one‑fifth of the world's traded oil and gas typically flows. Iran's restrictions on shipping have stranded oil tankers and disrupted global supply chains, while the US blockade has sought to cut off Iran's ability to export oil, a critical source of revenue.
Oil and gasoline prices in the United States have surged ahead of key midterm elections, while Gulf Arab states that depend on the strait to export energy have pressed for its reopening.
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