Iran has proposed reopening the Strait of Hormuz and ending the war while postponing nuclear negotiations, according to Axios, which cited a U.S. official and two sources familiar with the matter.
The proposal was passed to the United States through Pakistani mediators as diplomacy remains deadlocked and Iran’s leadership is divided over what nuclear concessions to offer.
Under the proposal, the sides would first resolve the crisis over the strait and the U.S. naval blockade. The ceasefire would then be extended for a long period or become a permanent end to the war. Nuclear talks would begin only afterward.
Such a move could weaken U.S. leverage in future talks over Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile and a possible suspension of uranium enrichment, two of President Donald Trump’s main war objectives.
Trump is expected to hold a Situation Room meeting Monday with senior national security and foreign policy officials to discuss the stalled negotiations and possible next steps.
The diplomatic stalemate deepened over the weekend after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi visited Pakistan without progress. The White House had said Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would meet Araghchi in Islamabad, but Iran did not commit to the meeting. Trump told Axios he canceled the trip because of Iran’s position.
Araghchi later held talks with Omani officials in Muscat on the Strait of Hormuz before returning to Islamabad. He was expected to travel Monday to Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin.
During talks in Islamabad, Araghchi raised the plan to bypass the nuclear issue. One source told Axios he said there was no consensus in Iran’s leadership on how to respond to U.S. demands that Iran suspend uranium enrichment for at least a decade and remove its enriched uranium from the country.
The White House has received the proposal, but it is unclear whether Washington is willing to consider it.
“These are sensitive diplomatic discussions and the U.S. will not negotiate through the press,” White House spokesperson Olivia Wales told Axios.
Spokespeople for Pakistan’s military and Foreign Ministry declined to comment.