US media report points to memorandum to end war after Trump pauses mission to open strait
May 6 (Reuters) – The White House believes it is nearing a one-page memorandum to end the war with Iran, a U.S. media outlet reported on Wednesday, after U.S. President Donald Trump paused a three-day naval mission to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Reuters could not immediately confirm the report by news outlet Axios, which cited two U.S. officials and two other sources briefed on the discussions.
The report stated that the United States expects Iran to respond to some important points within the next 48 hours. The U.S. State Department and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Among other provisions, the deal would include Iran committing to a moratorium on nuclear enrichment, the United States agreeing to lift sanctions and release billions of dollars in frozen Iranian funds, and both sides lifting restrictions on passage through the Strait of Hormuz, Axios said.
TRUMP’S ‘FREEDOM PROJECT’ HAS BEEN STOPPED
Previously, Trump announced that the “Freedom Project”, a mission to guide ships through the blocked strait, was suspended on Sunday. The mission failed to significantly restart traffic in the waterway, prompting a new wave of Iranian attacks on ships in the strait and targets in neighboring countries.
In the latest incident, a French shipping company announced on Wednesday that one of its container ships was hit in the strait the previous day and the injured crew was evacuated.
While Trump announced that he was pausing the mission, he stated that “great progress has been made” in negotiations with Iran, without providing further details.
“We have mutually agreed that while the blockade will remain in full effect, Project Freedom (Movement of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz) will be paused for a short period of time to see if the Agreement can be finalized and signed,” Trump wrote on social media.
After Trump said he would probably reject Iran’s latest offer, he launched a naval mission to guide ships through the strait. Iran’s offer last week calls for discussion of nuclear issues to be put aside until the end of the war and the resolution of the shipping dispute.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi did not mention Trump’s latest comments in comments about his visit to China on Wednesday, but said Tehran expects a “fair and comprehensive agreement.”
Araqchi also said in his social media post that he spoke with the foreign minister of Saudi Arabia on the phone and emphasized the importance of diplomacy between regional states to prevent tension.
BOSPHORUS IS CLOSED AS OF THE END OF FEBRUARY
Iran has effectively closed the strait to all ships except its own since the US and Israel launched the war on February 28. In April, Washington imposed its own separate blockade of Iranian ports.
Trump’s Project Freedom mission to use the U.S. Navy to open the strait failed to convince merchant ships that the strait is safe, provoking new attacks from Iran, which says it has expanded the area under its control to include the coastline of the United Arab Emirates on the far side of the strait.
As the mission continued, Iranian drones and missiles hit several ships in and around the strait, including a South Korean cargo ship that reported an explosion in its engine room.
Tehran has also repeatedly struck targets in the UAE, which allows some exports to pass through the strait, including the only major Emirati oil port on the coast across the strait.
The US Navy announced that several small Iranian boats were hit on Monday.
After Trump’s post that the mission was paused, Brent crude oil futures fell around 1.7%, falling below $108 per barrel. [O/R]
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on what progress had been made or how long the pause would last. Throughout the war, Trump announced a step back in military tactics while stating that progress was being made in negotiations with Iran without evidence.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other senior administration officials said earlier Tuesday that Iran cannot be allowed to control traffic in the strait.
Days after a ceasefire paused the US-Israeli bombing campaign on April 8, the US and Iran held a round of peace talks in Pakistan. But efforts to organize a second round have so far failed, with each side accusing the other of making unreasonable demands.
TRUMP SAID IRAN WANTS PEACE
U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran during the war killed thousands of people in Iran, and also killed thousands and displaced a million people in Lebanon, which Israel invaded to root out Iran-backed Hezbollah fighters who had crossed the border to support its allies.
On the other hand, dozens of people were killed as a result of Iranian fire in the Gulf and Israel.
Trump has repeatedly insisted that the war is destroying Iran’s military capability. He told reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday that Iran’s military was now in a position to fire on “supporters” and wanted peace despite Tehran’s harsh public voice.
The conflict is piling pressure on the Trump administration ahead of crucial midterm elections in November as rising gas prices line voters’ pockets.
(Reporting by Reuters bureaus, Writing by Raju Gopalakrishnan and Peter Graff, Editing by Lincoln Feast and Alex Richardson)
