U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he had been briefed on the outline of a possible deal with Iran but was still waiting to see the exact wording, while warning that strikes on Tehran could resume if Iran “misbehaves”.
A senior Iranian official said on Saturday that Tehran had submitted a proposal that would reopen shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and end the U.S. blockade of Iran, while leaving negotiations over Iran’s nuclear programme to a later stage.
Asked about the Iranian proposal before boarding a flight to Miami in West Palm Beach, Florida, Trump said: “They told me about the concept of the deal. They’re going to give me the exact wording now.”
In a post on his social media platform, Trump added that he could not imagine the proposals would be acceptable and said Iran had not paid a high enough price for its actions.
Asked whether he might restart strikes on Iran, Trump replied: “I don’t want to say that. I mean, I can’t tell that to a reporter. If they misbehave, if they do something bad, right now we’ll see. But it’s a possibility that could happen.”
Iran Says It Is Ready for Diplomacy
Trump has repeatedly said Iran must never be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon. On Friday, he said he was not satisfied with Tehran’s latest proposal, while Iran’s foreign minister said the country remained ready for diplomacy if Washington changed its approach.
Reuters and other news organisations reported over the past week that Tehran had proposed reopening the strait before nuclear issues were resolved. The Iranian official confirmed that the new timeline had now been set out in a formal proposal conveyed to the United States through mediators.
Trump also said on Friday that, “on a human basis,” he did not favour military action. He told congressional leaders he did not need their approval to extend the war beyond a legal deadline that day, saying the ceasefire had “terminated” hostilities.
Although Trump has repeatedly said he is in no hurry, he is facing domestic pressure to break Iran’s hold on the Strait of Hormuz, which has disrupted about 20% of global oil and gas supplies and driven up U.S. gasoline prices. His Republican Party faces the risk of a voter backlash over higher prices in November’s midterm congressional elections.
Iranian media said Tehran’s 14-point proposal included the withdrawal of U.S. forces from areas around Iran, the lifting of the blockade, the release of frozen Iranian assets, compensation payments, the lifting of sanctions and an end to the war on all fronts, including in Lebanon. It also called for a new control mechanism for the strait.
The United States and Israel suspended their bombing campaign against Iran four weeks ago, but the sides appear no closer to a deal to end a war that has caused the biggest disruption ever to global energy supplies, shaken global markets and raised concerns over a wider economic downturn.
Iran has blocked nearly all shipping from the Gulf, apart from its own vessels, for more than two months. Last month, the United States imposed its own blockade on ships from Iranian ports.
Washington has repeatedly said it will not end the war without an agreement that prevents Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, the main objective Trump cited when he launched strikes in February during ongoing nuclear talks. Iran says its nuclear programme is peaceful.
Speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss confidential diplomacy, the senior Iranian official said Tehran viewed its latest proposal, which would delay nuclear talks until a later stage, as a significant shift intended to help secure an agreement.
Under the proposal, the war would end with a guarantee that Israel and the United States would not launch further attacks. Iran would reopen the strait, while the United States would lift its blockade.
Future negotiations would then focus on restrictions on Iran’s nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief. Iran is demanding that Washington recognise its right to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes, even if Tehran agrees to suspend parts of its nuclear programme.
“Under this framework, negotiations over the more complicated nuclear issue have been moved to the final stage to create a more conducive atmosphere,” the official said.
