Trump discussed Iran Hormuz Strait proposal with team: White House
In this photo provided by U.S. Central Command, U.S. forces patrol the Arabian Sea near M/V Touska on April 20, 2026, after opening fire on the Iranian-flagged ship, which the United States accuses of trying to violate the naval blockade of Iranian ports near the Strait of Hormuz.
US Navy | Getty Images
President Donald Trump and his national security team discussed Iran’s proposal Monday to reopen the Strait of Hormuz if the United States lifts the blockade and the war ends, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed.
The proposal envisages postponing negotiations on Tehran’s nuclear ambitions to a later date. axios And Associated Press It was reported early Monday.
Trump vowed not to lift the blockade until an agreement is reached with Iran.100% complete,” will evaluate the reported proposal to end the two-month-old war.
“I will confirm that the president met with his national security team this morning,” Leavitt said when asked about the reports at a news conference Monday afternoon.
“The meeting may be ongoing, but the proposal may be under discussion,” Leavitt said around 1:23 PM ET.
“I don’t want to get ahead of the president or his national security team. What I want to reiterate is that the president’s red lines on Iran have been made very, very clear not only to the American public but to them as well.”
Leavitt quickly added that Trump and his team did not say they were “considering” the offer.
“I can only say that there was a discussion this morning that I don’t want to go any further on, and I’m sure you’ll be hearing directly from the president on that very soon,” he said.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio appeared likely to pour cold water on Iran’s proposal to clear the strategically vital strait in an interview with Fox News earlier Monday.
“What they mean by opening the straits is: ‘Yes, the straits are open as long as you coordinate with Iran, as long as you get our permission, otherwise we’ll blow you up and you’ll pay us,'” Rubio said when asked about Trump’s claim Saturday that Iran had sent a “much better” offer.
“This is not about opening the straits. These are international waterways. They cannot normalize, and we cannot tolerate them trying to normalize, a system where the Iranians decide who gets to use the international waterway and how much you have to pay them to use it,” Rubio said. he said.
The Trump administration has repeatedly insisted that the primary goal of the conflict is to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.
“If they were given nuclear weapons, everything would be peanuts compared to that,” Trump told reporters at the White House after a shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday night.
But efforts at a diplomatic solution appeared likely to hit a sudden snag over the weekend.
A child standing on a giant Iranian flag raises his fist during the funeral of Iranian Revolutionary Guard navy commander Alireza Tangsiri and others killed in US-Israeli attacks on Iran in Enghelab Square in Tehran, April 1, 2026.
– | Afp | Getty Images
Trump on Saturday canceled plans for son-in-law Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff to meet with their Iranian counterparts in Pakistan. “Too much time spent traveling, too much work!” somehow wrote Real Social postWhile claiming that the US still has “all the cards”.
Trump announced his decision after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi left Islamabad after meeting only with Pakistani officials, Reuters reported.
After sending the social media post, Trump reportedly told reporters that Iran had offered a “much better” offer, without saying what it involved.
“They gave us an article that was supposed to be better. And interestingly enough, when I canceled it, we got a much better article within 10 minutes,” Trump said before boarding Air Force One on Saturday. Bloomberg reported.
The cancellation immediately ended hopes for a second round of peace talks with Iran. Two weeks ago, Kushner, Witkoff and Vice President J.D. Vance went to Islamabad and negotiated with Iran for 21 hours, but left the country without a deal.
Vance was not included in the final travel plans.
The US-Iran ceasefire is still in effect after Trump unilaterally extended it last week. But throughout the ceasefire, the two sides continued to vie for superiority over each other, with the Strait of Hormuz emerging as the main battleground.
The strait, a vital shipping route that carries 20% of the world’s oil in normal times, remains Iran’s main trump card in the ongoing conflict. Tehran effectively closed the passage by force, with only a small portion of pre-war ship traffic passing through. There is actual closure caused oil prices to rise rapidlyThis has led to rising prices of gasoline and other products in the United States and around the world.
Trump responded by naval blockade of Iranian ports in the region. At least 38 ships have been stopped or turned back so far. US Central Command said Sunday night.
This is developing news. Please check back for updates.
