Strait of Hormuz drives US‑Iran talks

President Donald Trump discussed a new Iranian proposal on Monday that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz first and leave nuclear talks for later. (reuters.com) (axios.com) White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump reviewed the offer with his national security aides, and Reuters reported a U.S. official said Trump was unhappy with it. (reuters.com) (france24.com) Axios reported that Iran sent the proposal through Pakistani mediators after talks in Islamabad stalled. The offer would reopen the waterway, extend the ceasefire, and postpone negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program. (axios.com) (bloomberg.com) Associated Press reported that Tehran tied the plan to two conditions: the United States would have to lift its blockade and the war would have to end. Two regional officials said the larger nuclear dispute would move to a later phase. (apnews.com) (pbs.org) That sequencing goes to the center of the dispute. The Trump administration has kept saying its core objective is to stop Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, not just to restore shipping. (reuters.com) (cnbc.com) The Strait of Hormuz is the narrow sea lane between Iran and Oman that carries roughly 20% of the world’s oil and a similar share of liquefied natural gas. When traffic slows there, oil prices and shipping insurance usually jump. (apnews.com) (commonslibrary.parliament.uk) Britain’s House of Commons library said about 3,000 vessels used the strait each month before the conflict, and traffic had fallen to around 5% of that level. The same briefing said several Arab states had cut or suspended oil production after Iranian attacks. (commonslibrary.parliament.uk) Iran has used access to the strait as leverage before. Axios reported on April 7 that Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had accepted a two-week ceasefire and said safe passage would be coordinated with Iran’s armed forces. (axios.com) The diplomacy has also been running through Pakistan for weeks. Axios reported on March 31 that China and Pakistan had pushed an earlier ceasefire-and-Hormuz framework, and Reuters said the latest Iranian offer again came up after Pakistan-based mediation. (axios.com) (reuters.com) The immediate question is whether Washington accepts a phased deal that reopens the waterway but leaves the nuclear file unresolved. For now, the White House is reviewing the offer and keeping its red lines in place. (bloomberg.com) (reuters.com)