The regime of Iran sent Pakistani mediators a new proposal for negotiations with the United States that aim to end the conflict, reported the Iranian state news agency IRNA this Friday (1st).
IRNA did not provide details, but global prices for oilwhich have risen sharply since Iran began blocking the Strait of Hormuzfell after the news was released.
The closure of this maritime channel disrupted around 20% of the world’s oil supply and gas, and the US Navy is blocking Iranian crude oil exports. The scenario contributed to the increase in energy prices and intensified fears of a possible economic recession.
Without going into details, the president donald trump told reporters, however, that he was not satisfied with Iran’s proposal and that negotiations were taking place by telephone.
A ceasefire has been in effect since April 8, but in recent days the American president has been informed of plans for new military strikes to pressure Iran into negotiating.
Iran has activated its air defenses and plans a broad response if attacked, having assessed that there will be a short, intense US offensive, possibly followed by an Israeli strike, two senior Iranian officials told Reuters news agencies on condition of anonymity.
Washington has not said what its next steps will be, and the Pakistan did not set a date for new negotiations.
After US and US airstrikes, Israel on February 28, Iran fired on American bases, infrastructure and companies linked to Washington in the Gulf countries, while the Lebanese group Hezbollahsupported by Tehran, launched missiles against Israeli territory.
Underscoring the concerns of Gulf states, UAE presidential advisor Anwar Gargash said the “collective international will and provisions of international law” must guarantee freedom of navigation through the strait.
“And, of course, no Iranian unilateral agreement can be trusted or considered secure in the wake of its treacherous aggression against all its neighbors,” Gargash wrote.
Financial and energy markets remained on alert due to concerns over the impasse in negotiations and fears there could be a prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei warned on Thursday against expecting quick results in the negotiations.
A senior official in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard said that any new US attack on Iran, even a limited one, would begin “long and painful strikes” against Washington’s regional positions, while Aerospace Force commander Majid Mousavi was quoted by Iranian media as saying: “We saw what happened to their regional bases, we will see the same thing happen to their warships.”
Trump repeated Thursday that Iran would not be allowed to possess nuclear weapons and said the price of gasoline — a major concern for his Republican Party ahead of November’s midterm elections — would “drop precipitously” once the war ended. Iran maintains that its nuclear program is for exclusively civilian purposes.
The conflict has worsened Iran’s economic problems, putting the country at risk of post-war calamity, but the Islamic Republic appears capable of surviving a Gulf standoff for now, despite a US blockade that has cut its energy exports.
News website Axios reported that a plan shared with Trump during a meeting with senior US military leaders on Thursday involved using ground forces to seize part of the strait and reopen it to commercial navigation. Trump is also considering extending the U.S. blockade or declaring a unilateral victory, officials said. Washington has not announced any details of its plans.
In a sign that the US was also envisioning a scenario in which hostilities cease, the State Department invited partner nations to join a new coalitioncalled the Maritime Freedom Construct, to allow ships to sail through the strait.
France, United Kingdom and other countries held talks about contributing to such an initiative, but said they would help open the strait only when the conflict ended.
