President Donald Trump and his advisers see it as a way to break the deadlock in peace talks, the newspaper's sources said.
It is one of the options Trump is considering after U.S. and Iranian delegations failed to reach an agreement during a meeting in the Pakistani capital Islamabad, officials said. Those around the president believe that he “remains open to a diplomatic solution.”
American officials have outlined Trump's “red lines” in further negotiations with Iran, the newspaper notes. These include the full opening of the Strait of Hormuz without charging fees for passage, the end of all uranium enrichment and the dismantling of related facilities and the transfer of stocks of highly enriched uranium, as well as the end of funding for proxies such as Hezbollah in Lebanon and Yemen's Houthis.
WSJ sources admit that any next step by Trump is associated with serious risks. A return to full-scale war would further deplete critical U.S. ammunition supplies and increase criticism from an electorate skeptical of conflict in the Middle East. At the same time, reducing the military operation while maintaining the regime, its nuclear ambitions and control over the strait will be perceived as a victory for Tehran, the article says.
Context
Against the backdrop of the US-Israeli war against Iran, shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has almost stopped since March 1, leading to a sharp rising oil prices.
On March 14, US President Donald Trump called on China, France, Japan, South Korea, Great Britain and other countries to send their ships to create conditions of openness and security in the Strait of Hormuz.
At midnight on March 22, Trump threatened to strike Iranian energy facilities if the Strait of Hormuz was not fully opened within 48 hours. After that The country's representative to the UN maritime agency, Ali Mousavi, said that ships not related to “Iran's enemies” could pass through the strait, subject to security coordination with Tehran.
As the New York Post reported on March 31, Trump said the Strait of Hormuz would “open on its own” and the United States, he said, would not have to stay in Iran “for too long.”
On April 2, Euronews reported that more than 40 countries announced the creation of a coalition to ensure free and safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz after the end of the hot phase of the war.
Negotiations took place amid increased pressure Trump on European allies with a call to help resume work in the strait, where, according to media reports, thousands of ships are now blocked.
