Iran has shared a new idea with the United States that focuses on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and ending the current conflict first, while pushing nuclear talks to a later stage, Axios reported. According to a US official and two people familiar with the matter, this plan would avoid the most difficult issue for now, Iran’s nuclear programme, and deal with it only after the immediate crisis is solved.
Meanwhile, the Strait of Hormuz is a key global oil route, and Iran’s proposal links its reopening to easing tensions and lifting pressure from the ongoing blockade.
Iran’s behind-the-scenes proposal to the US
The talks between the US and Iran are stuck. Iran’s leadership is also divided on how far it should go with nuclear concessions. This new proposal seems designed to bypass that internal disagreement and reach a faster agreement by focusing first on the Strait and the war situation.
But there is a bigger concern in Washington. If the blockade is lifted and the war pressure reduces, the US could lose its main leverage over Iran in future nuclear talks, especially on stopping uranium enrichment and securing Iran’s stockpile.
According to Axios, during meetings in Islamabad, Araghchi reportedly suggested a way to avoid the nuclear issue for now. Report suggests, he told mediators from Pakistan, Egypt, Turkey, and Qatar that Iran does not have an internal agreement on how to respond to US demands.
The US wants Iran to stop uranium enrichment for at least ten years and remove its enriched uranium from the country. Iran has rejected both conditions. The new Iranian proposal, passed through Pakistani mediators, focuses first on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and easing the blockade.
It suggests that either a long ceasefire or a permanent end to the war could follow. Only after that, according to the plan, would nuclear negotiations begin. The White House has received the proposal, but it is still unclear if it will consider it seriously.
A White House spokesperson, Olivia Wales, earlier said: “These are sensitive diplomatic discussions, and the US will not negotiate through the press. 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.”
Trump’s response and upcoming Situation Room meeting
Trump is expected to meet his top national security and foreign policy team on Monday in the Situation Room to review the stalled negotiations and decide the next steps, according to Axios, speaking to three US officials.
In an interview with Fox News, Trump said he wants to keep the naval blockade in place because it is putting strong pressure on Iran’s oil exports. He said: “When you have vast amounts of oil pouring through your system … if for any reason this line is closed because you can’t put it into containers or ships … what happens is that line explodes from within. … They say they only have about three days before that happens.”
Talks hit a dead end after Pakistan visit
The situation worsened after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi visited Pakistan, where no real progress was made.
The White House had planned for Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to meet Araghchi in Islamabad, but Iran did not clearly agree. After that, Trump cancelled the trip.
Trump told Axios: “I see no point of sending them on an 18-hour flight in the current situation. It’s too long. We can do it just as well by telephone. The Iranians can call us if they want. We are not gonna travel just to sit there.”
Araghchi later met officials in Oman in Muscat, where discussions focused mainly on the Strait of Hormuz. He then returned to Islamabad for another round of talks. On Monday, he is expected to travel to Moscow for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The bigger picture: How the nuclear deal collapsed
The current tension is also linked to Trump’s decision in 2018 to pull the US out of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. That agreement, signed under Barack Obama, had placed strict limits on Iran’s nuclear programme until 2030. Iran had agreed to give up most of its nuclear material, around 12.5 tonnes of uranium, nearly 97 percent of it, was sent to Russia.
But in 2018, Trump called the deal “one-sided” and withdrew from it, despite opposition from several of his own advisers. After the US left the deal, Iran slowly began breaking the limits and expanding its nuclear programme.
It increased uranium enrichment and built up larger stockpiles much faster than expected. This brought it closer to having weapons-grade material earlier than planned.
Now, Trump’s team is dealing with the fallout of that decision. Recent talks have also stalled, and Trump has already cancelled one round of negotiations.
On the other hand, report suggests that Iran now holds about half a tonne of uranium enriched close to weapons level, stored in heavily guarded underground facilities. In total, Iran is believed to have around 11 tonnes of uranium at different stages of processing. Experts say that if fully refined, this could be enough for nearly 100 nuclear weapons.