- Iran proposed to separate Strait of Hormuz reopening from nuclear talks via Pakistani mediators
- US President Trump to hold Situation Room meeting on Iran's proposal and next steps
- Iran wants nuclear enrichment talks delayed until after Strait reopening and blockade lift
Iran has presented a new proposal to the United States through Pakistani mediators that would separate the question of the Strait of Hormuz from the issue of nuclear enrichment, offering to reopen the crucial waterway and seek a lifting of the US naval blockade first, Axios reported Monday. As per the proposal, the nuclear enrichment question is to be discussed in the later stage, sources told Axios.
US President Trump is expected to convene a Situation Room meeting Monday with his senior national security and foreign policy team to discuss the proposal and weigh potential next steps, according to three US officials who spoke to Axios. The meeting comes as the diplomatic stalemate between Washington and Tehran deepens and the fragile extended ceasefire remains under pressure.
The Iranian proposal was reportedly, relayed by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi during weekend meetings in Islamabad. Araghchi made it clear to Pakistani, Egyptian, Turkish and Qatari mediators that there is no consensus inside the Iranian leadership about how to address US demands, sources told Axios.
The US has insisted Iran suspend uranium enrichment for at least a decade and remove its enriched uranium stockpile from the country — terms Tehran has not formally accepted. Under the new Iranian framework, nuclear negotiations would only begin at a later stage, after the strait was opened and the blockade lifted.
ALSO READ: Amid Stalled US-Iran Talks, Abbas Araghchi Visits Pakistan For The Second Time: Here's What We Know
The White House has received the proposal but it is unclear whether it is willing to explore it on those terms, report further said. Accepting such a sequencing would risk surrendering Washington's primary source of leverage — the blockade — before resolving the nuclear question, the report suggests. White House spokesperson Olivia Wales told Axios the administration's position remained firm.
"These are sensitive diplomatic discussions and the U.S. will not negotiate through the press," she said. "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."
ALSO READ: Brent Crude Surges Past $107 As Hormuz Stays Shut, Iran-US Talks Stall
Trump told Axios he saw no reason to dispatch his envoys to Pakistan for another round of in-person talks in the current environment. "I see no point of sending them on an 18-hour flight in the current situation," he said. "The Iranians can call us if they want. We are not gonna travel just to sit there."
The Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly 20% of global oil flows in normal times, has been effectively closed since military action began in late February. Brent crude is trading near $100 per barrel, with the US summer driving season — and the political pressure it carries — weeks away.
Essential Business Intelligence, Continuous LIVE TV, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.