Iran has delivered a new diplomatic proposal to Washington through Pakistani intermediaries, offering to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end the ongoing conflict. The proposal calls for nuclear negotiations to be postponed to a later stage, according to a US official and two sources with knowledge of the matter.
The White House has received the proposal, though it remains unclear whether the United States is willing to explore it. A White House spokesperson said the administration would not negotiate through the press, adding that the US would only make a deal that puts American interests first and would never allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon.
The diplomacy is currently at a stalemate. Iran’s leadership remains divided over what nuclear concessions should be on the table, and the new proposal is aimed at bypassing that impasse to reach a faster deal.
Iran’s Hormuz-First Strategy Shifts the Diplomatic Sequence
The proposal marks a notable shift in Tehran’s approach. Rather than tackling nuclear issues upfront, a longtime demand of Western powers, Iran is pushing for maritime access and a ceasefire agreement to come first.
The new proposal, conveyed through Pakistani mediators, focuses on resolving the crisis over the strait and the US blockade before anything else. Under that framework, the ceasefire would either be extended for a prolonged period or the parties would agree on a permanent end to the war. Nuclear talks would only begin at a later stage, after the US naval blockade is lifted.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has been at the center of the diplomatic push. He raised the plan to bypass the nuclear issue during meetings in Islamabad and made clear to Pakistani, Egyptian, Turkish, and Qatari mediators over the weekend that there is no consensus inside the Iranian leadership on how to address US demands. He subsequently held talks with Omani officials in Muscat before heading to Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The US wants Iran to suspend uranium enrichment for at least a decade and remove its stockpile from the country, conditions Tehran has consistently resisted.
What the US Wants and Why the Stalemate Persists
Washington has not signaled it will accept the proposed sequencing. Agreeing to lift the blockade and end the war before securing nuclear concessions would remove President Trump’s primary leverage in any future negotiations over Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile.
To end the war, the US is seeking a complete shutdown of Iran’s nuclear program, limits on its missile production, and restrictions on its support for regional allies including Hezbollah and Hamas. Tehran has insisted on its right to enrich uranium domestically as part of a civilian program and has ruled out using its military capabilities and regional alliances as bargaining chips.
Trump extended the ceasefire earlier this month at the request of Pakistani mediators, saying he would hold off any military action until Iran’s leadership submitted a unified proposal. The naval blockade on Iranian ports, which began April 13, remains in place.
Analysts at the Institute for the Study of War assessed that meaningful US-Iran negotiations face long odds, citing the IRGC’s control over Tehran’s decision-making and its resistance to compromise, as well as Washington’s longstanding insistence that nuclear issues remain central to any comprehensive agreement.
The Strait of Hormuz is a critical global energy chokepoint through which roughly one fifth of the world’s oil supplies transit. Its continued disruption has pushed global oil prices higher and intensified international pressure on both sides to reach a resolution.
Trump is expected to convene a Situation Room meeting with his top national security and foreign policy team to discuss the stalemate and weigh potential next steps.
