Iran Offers to Reopen Strait of Hormuz 04/27 06:06

   Iran has offered to end its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz in exchange 
for the U.S. lifting its blockade on the country and an end to the war, while 
proposing that discussions on the larger question of its nuclear program would 
come in a later phase, two regional officials said Monday.

   CAIRO (AP) -- Iran has offered to end its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz 
in exchange for the U.S. lifting its blockade on the country and an end to the 
war, while proposing that discussions on the larger question of its nuclear 
program would come in a later phase, two regional officials said Monday.

   U.S. President Donald Trump seems unlikely to accept the offer, which was 
passed to the Americans by Pakistan and would leave unresolved the 
disagreements that led the U.S. and Israel to go to war on Feb. 28.

   With a fragile ceasefire in place, the U.S. and Iran are locked in a 
standoff over the strait, through which a fifth of the world's traded oil and 
gas passes in peacetime. The U.S blockade is designed to prevent Iran from 
selling its oil, depriving it of crucial revenue while also potentially 
creating a situation where Tehran has to shut off production because it has 
nowhere to store the oil.

   The strait's closure, meanwhile, has put pressure on Trump, as oil and 
gasoline prices have skyrocketed ahead of crucial midterm elections, and it has 
pressured his Gulf allies, which use the waterway to export their oil and gas.

   The closure has also had far-reaching effects throughout the world economy, 
raising the price of fertilizer, food and other basic goods.

   The proposal would push off negotiations on Iran's nuclear program to a 
later date. Trump said one of the major reasons he went to war was to deny Iran 
the ability to develop nuclear weapons.

   The two officials, who had knowledge of the proposal, spoke on condition of 
anonymity to discuss the closed-door negotiations between Iranian and Pakistani 
officials this weekend. The Axios news outlet first reported Iran's proposal.

   It came as Iran's foreign minister visited Russia, which has long been a key 
backer of Tehran. It's unclear what, if any, assistance Moscow might offer now.

   Strait of Hormuz remains blocked

   Iran's ability to choke off traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow 
mouth of the Persian Gulf, has proved one of its biggest strategic advantages 
in a war that has often boiled down to which side can take more pain.

   Oil prices have risen steadily since the war began and tankers full of crude 
became stranded in the Persian Gulf, unable to safely transit through the 
strait and reach global distribution points.

   On Monday, the spot price of Brent crude, the international standard, was 
trading at around $108 per barrel, nearly 50% higher than when the war began.

   Iranian foreign minister holds talks as negotiations with US stall

   Trump last week indefinitely extended the ceasefire the U.S. and Iran agreed 
to on April 7 that has largely halted fighting. But a permanent settlement 
remains elusive in the war that has killed thousands of people.

   Iran's state-run IRNA news agency said Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi 
landed in St. Petersburg on Monday morning ahead of a meeting with Russian 
President Vladimir Putin.

   "It is a good opportunity for us to consult with our Russian friends about 
the developments that have occurred in relation to the war during this period 
and what is happening now," Araghchi said in a video interview posted by IRNA.

   It comes as Pakistan has been seeking to revive stalled talks between Iran 
and the U.S., and negotiations had been expected in Islamabad over the weekend. 
Instead, Trump called off a trip by his envoys and suggested the talks could 
take place by phone instead.

   Over the weekend, Araghchi made two stops in Pakistan and a visit to Oman, 
which shares the strait with Iran. He also spoke by phone with counterparts in 
Qatar and Saudi Arabia on Sunday.

   Iran wants to persuade Oman to support a mechanism to collect tolls from 
vessels passing through the strait, according to a regional official who spoke 
on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter.

   Oman's response wasn't immediately clear.

   The official, who is involved in mediation efforts, also said Iran insisted 
on ending the U.S. blockade before new talks and that Pakistan-led mediators 
are trying to bridge significant gaps between the countries.

   Trump says Iran has offered a 'much better' proposal

   Trump told journalists Saturday that after he called off a trip by his 
envoys to Pakistan, Iran sent a "much better" proposal.

   He did not elaborate but stressed that one of his conditions is that Iran 
"will not have a nuclear weapon." Iran insists its program is peaceful, but the 
U.S. wants to remove Tehran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium, which could 
be used to build a bomb, should Tehran choose to pursue one.

   Since the war began, at least 3,375 people have been killed in Iran and at 
least 2,509 people in Lebanon, where fighting between Israel and the 
Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group resumed two days after the Iran war 
started. Another 23 people have been killed in Israel and more than a dozen in 
Gulf Arab states. Fifteen Israeli soldiers in Lebanon, 13 U.S. service members 
in the region and six U.N. peacekeepers in southern Lebanon have been killed.

   The ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah has been extended by three weeks. 
Hezbollah has not participated in the Washington-brokered diplomacy.