Iran has proposed a deal with the United States to reach an agreement on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and ending the war, while delaying negotiations on Tehran’s nuclear program to a later stage, according to a report Sunday, after hoped-for talks in Pakistan over the weekend failed to materialize.
The Axios report, citing a US official and two sources familiar with the matter, was published as Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi briefly returned to Islamabad after visiting Oman on Saturday, despite US President Donald Trump signaling that he did not plan to dispatch a negotiating team anytime soon.
Instead, after calling off a planned delegation to Pakistan at the last minute the previous day, the president said on Sunday that the Iranian team could reach Washington by phone if they wished to speak, and Araghchi departed Pakistan again, this time headed for Russia.
According to Axios, Iran’s attempt to kickstart negotiations again by solving the issues centered on the Strait of Hormuz was conveyed to the US by Pakistani mediators.
Trump was expected to discuss the Iranian proposal and other issues held up in the stalled negotiations during a Situation Room meeting with national security and foreign policy teams on Monday, Axios said.
But resolving the standoff over the Strait of Hormuz, lifting the US blockade and allowing Iran’s oil exports to flow again would leave Trump and Washington without much leverage for future negotiations.
It is also unclear whether Trump would agree to push off the nuclear talks to an unspecified later date, given that he has repeatedly insisted that he will settle for nothing less than Tehran’s commitment to ending its nuclear activities.
The status of Iran’s enriched uranium has long been at the center of tensions. Tehran has 440 kilograms (970 pounds) of uranium enriched to 60 percent purity, a short, technical step from weapons-grade levels, with no peaceful application.
Israel, which has not been involved in the negotiations in Pakistan, has also insisted that the US must put an end to Tehran’s nuclear ambitions as part of any deal to end the fighting. Pakistan, itself a nuclear power, does not recognize Israel.
Meanwhile, Iran’s top diplomat landed in St. Petersburg on Monday for the final leg of his regional tour.
Iranian state media reported that Araghchi would meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and other Russian officials to discuss bilateral ties and regional issues, including the war.
Araghchi said the consultations in Pakistan over the weekend had reviewed conditions under which Iran-US talks could resume, stressing that Tehran would seek to secure its rights and national interests following weeks of conflict.
Oil prices rise as hope dims
But his attempts to muster support for resolving the crisis in the strait appeared to have little effect, as oil prices were up more than 1% on Monday, with benchmark Brent crude futures rising $1.35, or 1.3%, to $106.68 a barrel, retreating from early session gains of over $2 a barrel.
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