Iran has submitted a new peace process proposal to the US. It calls for the parties to open the Strait of Hormuz and cease hostilities — either to extend the ceasefire for a long period or to finally agree to end the war. It proposes postponing nuclear talks to a later stage.
Axios writes about this, citing an American official and two other sources.
Diplomacy has reached a deadlock, and the Iranian leadership is divided over what nuclear concessions should be on the table. This proposal would bypass that issue and reach a deal more quickly.
But lifting the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and ending the war would deprive US President Donald Trump of leverage in any future negotiations on two major US military goals: removing Iranʼs stockpile of enriched uranium and getting Iran to suspend all enrichment.
Trump is expected to hold a situational meeting on Iran with his national security and foreign policy team on Monday, three U.S. officials said. One source said Trumpʼs team will discuss the impasse in talks and possible next steps.
One source reported that over the weekend of April 26-27, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi made it clear to Pakistani, Egyptian, Turkish, and Qatari mediators that there was no consensus within the Iranian leadership on how to respond to US demands regarding its nuclear program.
The day before, on April 26, in an interview with Fox News, Trump made it clear that he wanted to continue the naval blockade against ships heading to or from Iranian ports, hoping that this would force Tehran to give in over the next few weeks.
War in the Middle East and negotiations between Iran and the US
On the morning of February 28, the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran. These attacks killed Iranʼs Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and almost the entire military leadership of the country — about 40 key high-ranking officials.
Iran, in response to the US and Israeli attacks, began shelling Arab countries and Israel. The war also halted tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow sea corridor between Iran and Oman that connects the Persian Gulf to the Indian Ocean. It was through it that almost a fifth of the worldʼs oil exports passed — tens of millions of barrels a day.
On April 8, the parties agreed to a two-week ceasefire. On April 13, the United States began a naval blockade of Iranian ports, demanding the complete unblocking of the Strait of Hormuz for all ships.
On April 17, Lebanon and Israel agreed to a ceasefire, after which Iran unblocked the Strait of Hormuz. However, on April 18, Iran reported that it was again blocking the Strait of Hormuz due to the US naval blockade. On the same day, Iran fired on several ships attempting to pass through the strait.
On April 19, Donald Trump reported that his representatives would go to Pakistan for talks. But Iran refused to send its delegation. The Foreign Ministry noted that the US had violated the ceasefire, and Iran "cannot forget the US attacks on it during previous talks".
On April 21, Trump wrote on Truth Social that he had extended the truce with Iran until the Iranians submitted their proposals and concluded discussions.
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