The White House on Sunday confirmed that a fresh proposal from Iran aimed at ending the ongoing conflict and reopening the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz is being discussed by US President Donald Trump and his national security team, reported ANI.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that the proposal has been taken up at the highest level.
“I can confirm the president has met with his national security team this morning – the meeting may be ongoing, maybe not… The proposal was being discussed… I wouldn’t say they are considering it. I would just say that there was a discussion this morning that I don’t want to get ahead of and you’ll hear directly from the president, I am sure, on this topic very soon,” she said.
The proposal sent by Iran outlines a framework to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and bring an end to the conflict, with a condition that negotiations on its nuclear programme be held at a later stage. The Strait of Hormuz remains a critical maritime route for global energy supplies, and its closure has contributed to tensions and disruptions in the region.
President Trump has maintained that Iran must not acquire nuclear weapons. Leavitt said that the administration’s position on Iran’s nuclear programme has been clearly communicated, adding that the president’s red lines have been “made very, very clear.”
Earlier, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi shared a list of Tehran’s red lines during his diplomatic visit to Pakistan, according to Iranian state media outlet Fars.
These red lines include issues related to Iran’s nuclear programme and the Strait of Hormuz. The report stated that the exchange was intended to clarify Iran’s position and was not part of direct negotiations with the United States.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei on Monday strongly condemned the U.S. seizure of vessels carrying Iranian oil on the high seas, reported Xinhua.
“This is the outright legalization of piracy and armed robbery on the high seas. Welcome to the return of the pirates — only now, they operate with government-issued warrants, sail under official flags, and call their plunder ‘law enforcement,'” said Baghaei on the social media platform X.
He said the United States must be held fully accountable for this “brazenly lawless behavior, which strikes at the heart of international law and international free trade, and threatens the basic principles of maritime security.”
On Friday, Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, said on X that U.S. forces interdicted two tankers carrying roughly 1.9 million barrels of Iranian oil each in the Indian Ocean, based on seizure warrants.
In her post, Pirro said, “We will continue to relentlessly investigate, track, and pursue these cases, using every lawful authority to hold sanctioned actors and those who support terrorism accountable, and to deny them any ability to profit from illicit maritime activity.”
The action came after Iran tightened its grip on the Strait of Hormuz, where it has blocked passage for Israeli and U.S.-linked vessels since Feb. 28. The United States later imposed its own blockade after peace talks with Iran in Pakistan collapsed in mid-April.
Merz criticizes US strategy in Iran conflict
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Monday criticized the United States for its “planless” military engagement in Iran, adding that the United States “is being humiliated by the Iranian leadership.”
Speaking at the Carolus-Magnus-Gymnasium, a school in Marsberg, North Rhine-Westphalia, Merz expressed his skepticism about Washington’s ability to quickly conclude its war with Iran.
The United States “obviously went into this war without any strategy,” Merz was quoted by the German magazine Spiegel as saying, adding that the Iranian side is negotiating highly skillfully.
“The problem with such conflicts is always: you don’t just have to go in, you also have to get out,” he said.
Merz reiterated Germany’s offer to help secure the Strait of Hormuz and restore global oil supply chains. However, he stressed that Germany will only participate once all combat operations have ceased.
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