Why Is Trump Less Likely to Accept Iran's New Proposal?

The White House is considering a new proposal from Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Since the outbreak of war in the Middle East, the Strait of Hormuz has been nearly paralyzed. U.S. blockades of Iranian ports would cause Iranian crude oil inventories to overflow, forcing oil wells to shut down. On X (formerly Twitter), there are visible scenes of areas burning off excess oil, producing thick smoke.

The Strait of Hormuz is a vital strategic maritime route for oil and liquefied natural gas trade, and its blockade has weakened the global economy. Reopening the Strait is essential for a lasting resolution to this conflict.

On Monday, the U.S. President chaired a meeting with key security advisors, during which Iran’s new proposal regarding the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz was discussed.

Delaying Nuclear Talks

A report by Axios, cited by Iran’s official news agency IRNA, states that Iran has submitted a new proposal aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz and ending the war—but with "nuclear talks postponed for future consideration."

According to CNN, citing informed sources, Donald Trump indicated during the meeting that he is unlikely to accept the proposal. However, according to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the proposal “is better than we expected.”

Secretary Rubio emphasized specifically: “We must ensure that any agreement reached completely prevents them from acquiring nuclear weapons at any time.” (Tehran denies such ambitions but defends its right to develop civilian nuclear energy.)

Iran’s Defense Ministry spokesperson Reza Tarai-Nik stated that the United States “has no authority to impose its policies on independent nations” and called on Washington to abandon its “illegal and unreasonable demands.”

In the meantime, Iran’s parliament is drafting a bill to place the Strait of Hormuz under the jurisdiction of its armed forces. Under the proposed law, Israeli vessels would be banned from passing through the strait, and other ships would be required to pay transit fees in Iranian rials.

Marco Rubio told Fox News: “We cannot tolerate Iranians attempting to establish a system where they decide who can use international waterways and how much they must pay to do so.”

According to data from Kpler, for the first time since the war began, a fully loaded liquefied natural gas carrier successfully passed through the Strait of Hormuz in April and arrived off the coast of India on Monday.

"Frozen Conflict"

Despite a ceasefire having been in effect for three weeks, negotiations toward a permanent halt to hostilities have stalled. Faced with this diplomatic deadlock, Qatar warned on Tuesday that the Gulf region could face a “frozen conflict.”

After the U.S. canceled the second round of scheduled talks in Pakistan, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with his ally Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg on Monday.

Russian President Putin assured him that, as one of Tehran’s main supporters, Moscow would “do everything possible” to ensure peace is achieved “as soon as possible.”

Mr. Araghchi also denied that Iran’s strength has diminished, despite multiple air strikes in the early weeks of the war and a U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports.

Source: rfi

Original: toutiao.com/article/1863749074010376/

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