An Iranian proposal so far rejected by US President Donald Trump would open shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and end the US blockade of Iran, while leaving talks over Iran’s nuclear program for later, a senior Iranian official said on Saturday.
Trump, who has repeatedly said Iran can never have nuclear weapons, said on Friday he was not satisfied with the latest Iranian offer for talks, while Iran’s foreign minister said Tehran was ready for diplomacy if the United States changes its approach.
Trump also said Friday that “on humanitarian grounds,” he did not prioritize military action against Iran and told leaders in the U.S. Congress that he did not need their permission to extend the war beyond the deadline set by law for that day because the ceasefire “has ended” hostilities.
“Do we want to go and completely destroy them and eliminate them forever? Or do we want to try and make a compromise?” When asked about his options, he told reporters at the White House.
Later Friday, during a speech in Florida, Trump said the United States would not end its confrontation with Iran quickly “and then the problem will arise over the next three years.”
While repeatedly saying he is in no hurry, Trump is under domestic pressure to break Iran’s grip on the strait, which has cut off 20% of the world’s oil and gas supplies and driven up U.S. gasoline prices.
When mid-term congressional elections are held in the country in November, Trump’s Republican Party will face opposition from voters over high prices.
Iran has been blocking almost all shipping from the Gulf except its own for more than two months. Last month, the US imposed its blockade on ships from Iranian ports.
Washington has repeatedly said it would not end the war without a deal preventing Iran from ever acquiring nuclear weapons, which has caused thousands of deaths, a primary objective cited by Trump when he launched the strikes in February in the middle of nuclear talks. Iran says its nuclear program is peaceful.
Speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss confidential diplomacy, the senior Iranian official said Tehran believed its latest proposal to postpone nuclear talks to a later stage was a significant change aimed at facilitating an agreement.
Under the proposal, the war would end with a guarantee that Israel and the United States would not attack again. Iran will open the strait and the United States will lift its blockade.—Reuters
