US President Donald Trump held an important meeting at the White House with his national security advisers to review proposals sent by Iran through Pakistan for ending the two-month war.
According to US officials and media reports, Trump did not completely reject the Iranian proposal. However, he was unhappy that Iran’s nuclear program was not included in the initial phase of negotiations.
A White House spokesperson confirmed to the media that proposals related to opening the Strait of Hormuz were reviewed during the consultations.
The spokesperson said the Trump administration wants a deal that prevents Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, describing it as Washington’s top priority.
Officials also discussed an operation related to the removal of landmines as part of efforts to ease tensions and restore movement in the region.
Trump unhappy over delay on nuclear talks
According to US media, Trump did not fully reject the Iranian proposals. However, he was unhappy that Tehran’s plan would set aside talks on Iran’s nuclear program until the war ends and disputes over Gulf shipping are resolved.
The United States has insisted that nuclear issues must be part of negotiations from the beginning. A US official briefed on Trump’s meeting said the president was dissatisfied with Iran’s approach for that reason.
White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales said the United States “will not negotiate through the press". She added that Washington has been clear about its “red lines” as the Trump administration seeks to end the war against Iran, which began in February alongside Israel.
The conflict has disrupted energy supplies, fuelled inflation and killed thousands, raising pressure on all sides to find a diplomatic way forward.
According to CNN, backdoor diplomatic efforts are continuing for a possible final deal.
A strategy has been adopted to keep diplomatic efforts moving forward, despite differences between Washington and Tehran over the sequencing of talks.
The Iranian proposal reportedly envisions negotiations in stages, with the nuclear issue to be addressed later rather than at the start.
Iran wants war ended before nuclear issue
Senior Iranian officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the proposal carried by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to Islamabad over the weekend called for a phased process.
The first step would require ending the US-Israeli war on Iran and providing guarantees that the United States cannot restart it.
After that, negotiators would address the US Navy blockade of Iran’s maritime trade and the future of the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran wants to reopen under its control.
Only then would talks move to other issues, including the long-running dispute over Iran’s nuclear program.
Iran is still seeking some form of US acknowledgment of its right to enrich uranium.
A previous nuclear agreement signed in 2015 between Iran and several world powers, including the United States, sharply restricted Iran’s nuclear program.
Iran has long maintained that its nuclear activities are for peaceful and civilian purposes. That agreement collapsed after Trump unilaterally withdrew from it during his first term in office.
Peace efforts face setbacks
Hopes of reviving peace efforts have weakened since Trump cancelled a planned visit last weekend by his special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner to Islamabad.
The Pakistani capital has been a key location for behind-the-scenes diplomacy, with Araghchi shuttling in and out twice during the weekend.
Araghchi also visited Oman before travelling to Russia on Monday, where he met President Vladimir Putin and received words of support from a long-standing ally.
Oil prices rise
With the warring sides still far apart, oil prices resumed their upward movement and extended gains in early Asia trade on Tuesday.
Fawad Razaqzada, market analyst at City Index and FOREX.com, said oil traders are now focused less on rhetoric and more on the actual physical flow of crude through the Strait of Hormuz.
He said that flow remains constrained, keeping pressure on global energy markets.
Ship-tracking data showed that at least six tankers loaded with Iranian oil have been forced back to Iran by the US blockade in recent days.
Iran’s foreign ministry condemned US seizures of Iran-linked tankers, describing them in a social media post as the “outright legalization of piracy and armed robbery on the high seas.”
Shipping through Strait of Hormuz sharply reduced
Before the war, between 125 and 140 ships usually crossed in and out of the Strait of Hormuz each day. According to Kpler ship-tracking data and satellite analysis from SynMax, only seven ships crossed in the past day.
None of those ships were carrying oil bound for the global market, showing the extent of disruption in one of the world’s most important shipping lanes.
Trump is also facing growing domestic pressure as his approval ratings fall. The US president has given the public shifting explanations for the war, while critics continue to question its cost and objectives.
Speaking to reporters in Russia, Araghchi said Trump had requested negotiations because the United States had not achieved any of its objectives.
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