US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said Iran is in a “State of Collapse,” while claiming that Tehran has asked Washington to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump also reiterated that Iran was facing a leadership crisis.
“Iran has just informed us that they are in a ‘State of Collapse.’ They want us to ‘Open the Hormuz Strait,’ as soon as possible, as they try to figure out their leadership situation,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Efforts to end the West Asia conflict appeared stalled on Tuesday, with the United States saying it is considering Tehran’s latest proposal to unblock the Strait of Hormuz, even as Iran insisted Washington could no longer dictate terms.
Iran has blockaded the strategic waterway, a vital route for global oil and gas shipments, since the start of the US-Israeli offensive two months ago, sending shockwaves through the global economy.
CNN reported that Trump was unlikely to accept Iran’s proposal to restore traffic in the strait, while Qatar warned of the risk of a “frozen conflict” if a lasting resolution is not reached.
"We do not want to see a return to hostilities in the region anytime soon, we do not want to see a frozen conflict that ends up being thawed every time there is a political reason," Qatari foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said at a press conference.
Although a ceasefire has halted active fighting, diplomatic efforts to secure a permanent end to the conflict remain inconclusive. "We are very keen to see an end to this war that is sustainable," Ansari added.
Trump met top security advisers on Monday to discuss Iran’s proposal after Tehran sent “written messages” to Washington via Pakistan outlining its red lines, including on nuclear issues and the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s Fars news agency reported.
The proposal is “being discussed,” White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told a briefing.
The plan would reportedly involve Tehran easing its blockade of the strait and Washington lifting retaliatory restrictions on Iranian ports, while broader negotiations continue, including over Iran’s nuclear programme.
However, CNN, citing sources familiar with the matter, said Trump signalled during Monday’s meeting that he was reluctant to remove the Strait of Hormuz from negotiations without resolving the nuclear issue. His next steps remain unclear.
Iranian defence ministry spokesman Reza Talaei-Nik said Washington “must abandon its illegal and irrational demands.”
"The United States is no longer in a position to dictate its policy to independent nations," he said, according to state TV.
Asked about the proposal, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Fox News it was “better than what we thought they were going to submit,” but questioned its credibility.
"They're very good negotiators," he said, "and we have to ensure that any deal that is made, any agreement that is made, is one that definitively prevents them from sprinting towards a nuclear weapon at any point."
Pakistan, which previously hosted an initial round of US-Iran talks, has so far been unable to secure a second round after weekend efforts failed. Trump has said that if Iran wants talks, “they can call us.”
Iran’s envoy to the United Nations said Tehran would require guarantees that the United States and Israel would not launch further attacks if it is to provide security assurances for the Gulf.
(With inputs from AFP)