DUBAI/WASHINGTON, Apr 28: U.S. President Donald Trump is unhappy with the latest Iranian proposal on resolving the two-month war, a U.S. official said, dampening hopes for resolution of a conflict that has disrupted energy supplies, fuelled inflation, and killed thousands.
Iran's latest proposal would set aside discussion of Iran's nuclear programme until the war, on hold following a ceasefire announced earlier this month, is ended and disputes over shipping from the Gulf are resolved.
Trump is unhappy with Iran's proposal as he wants nuclear issues dealt with from the outset, said a U.S. official briefed on the president's Monday meeting with his advisers, speaking on condition of anonymity.
White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales said the U.S. has "been clear about our red lines" as it seeks to end the war it began in February alongside Israel.
A previous agreement in 2015 between Iran and multiple other countries including the U.S. sharply curtailed Iran's nuclear programme, which it has long maintained is for peaceful, civilian purposes. But that deal fell apart when Trump unilaterally withdrew from it in his first term in office.
Hopes of reviving peace efforts have receded since the U.S. president scrapped a visit planned for last weekend by his special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner to mediator Pakistan.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi shuttled in and out of Islamabad twice during the weekend. He also visited Oman and on Monday went to Russia, where he met President Vladimir Putin and received words of support from a longstanding ally.
Iran's Deputy Defence Minister Reza Talaei-Nik said on Tuesday that Tehran was ready to share defensive weapons capabilities and experiences gained from "America's defeat" with "independent" nations including those of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. That bloc includes Iran, Russia, China, India, Pakistan and Central Asian states.
With the warring sides still seemingly far apart, oil prices resumed their upward march, rising nearly 3% on Tuesday and extending gains from the previous session.
"For oil traders, it's not the rhetoric that matters any more, but the actual physical flow of crude oil through the Strait of Hormuz, and right now, that flow remains constrained," Fawad Razaqzada, market analyst at City Index and FOREX.com, said in a note.
At least six tankers loaded with Iranian oil have been forced back to Iran by the U.S. blockade in recent days, ship-tracking data showed, underscoring the war's impact on traffic.
Iran's foreign ministry condemned U.S. action against Iran-linked tankers as "outright legalization of piracy and armed robbery on the high seas", in a social media post.
AFP adds, the White House said it was examining Iran's latest proposal to unblock the Strait of Hormuz, as Tehran insisted on Tuesday that Washington was no longer in a position to "dictate" policy to others.
Iran has blockaded the waterway -- a vital conduit for oil and gas shipments -- since the start of the US-Israeli offensive two months ago, sending shockwaves through the global economy.
While a ceasefire has halted the fighting between the longtime foes, talks to permanently end the war and reopen the strait have proven inconclusive.
US President Donald Trump met with top security advisors on Monday to discuss the Iranian proposal after Tehran passed "written messages" to Washington via Pakistan, spelling out its red lines, including on nuclear issues and Hormuz, Iran's Fars news agency reported.
The proposal was "being discussed," spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told a White House briefing.
The plan would reportedly see Tehran ease its chokehold on the strait and Washington lift its retaliatory blockade on Iranian ports while broader negotiations continue, including over the thorny question of Iran's nuclear program. "REUTERS, AFP
