Iran may consider allowing ships to sail freely through the Omani side of the Strait of Hormuz without the risk of attack as part of proposals it has put forward in negotiations with the United States if an agreement is reached to prevent a flare-up of conflict, a Tehran-based source told Reuters on Wednesday.
The war in the Middle East has led to the largest disruption in history of global oil and gas supplies due to Iran blocking traffic through the strait. The strategic trade route handles about 20% of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas flows.
Hundreds of oil tankers and other ships, as well as 20,000 sailors, have been stuck in the Persian Gulf since the start of the US-Israel-Iran war on February 28.
The source cited by Reuters, who declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the subject, said Iran may be willing to allow ships to use the other side of the narrow strait, in Oman's territorial waters, without any hindrance from Tehran.
The source did not say whether Iran would agree to remove any mines it may have placed in that maritime zone, or whether all ships — even those with ties to Israel — would be allowed to pass freely.
However, the source added that the proposal depends on Washington's willingness to meet Tehran's demands, a key condition for any potential progress on the Strait of Hormuz.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for clarification on this subject, Reuters reports.
How long will the blockade imposed by the US military on the Strait of Hormuz last
Asked at a White House press conference on Wednesday how long the US-imposed naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz would last, President Donald Trump's spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt declined to give a timeframe.
“I will never set deadlines on behalf of the president of the United States,” she said.
“But in terms of the blockade, as you know, it has been fully implemented and is being enforced against ships of all nations entering or leaving Iranian ports,” the White House spokeswoman added, as quoted by The Guardian.
She also said she noticed some “misinformation” about the blockade.
“I've noticed some misinformation on this as well. That includes all Iranian ports in the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, and our US forces in the region support freedom of navigation for ships transiting the strait to and from non-Iranian ports. So I know some members of the media have been confused about this. We support freedom of navigation, but not for oil tankers or ships that would benefit Iran's economy while these negotiations continue,” Leavitt said.
White House, 'optimistic about prospects for deal'
The Trump administration is “optimistic about the prospects for a deal” with Iran, the White House said Wednesday, noting that Pakistan is the likely location for a possible second round of face-to-face talks, CNN reports.
“Nothing is official until you hear it from us here at the White House,” Karoline Leavitt told reporters, referring to the possible new meeting. “But we are confident in the prospects for an agreement.”
She added that the US delegation would likely return to Islamabad, where Vice President JD Vance led last weekend's talks with the Iranians.
“It would very likely be in the same place as last time,” Leavitt said.
The spokeswoman of the White House also rejected the information regarding the possibility of extending the truce with Iran.
“We've seen again this morning some erroneous news reports that we've formally requested an extension to the ceasefire. That's not true; at this point, we remain very involved in those negotiations,” Leavitt said.
A possible extension of the U.S.-Iran ceasefire is still under discussion, sources familiar with the negotiations previously told CNN, but the Trump administration is eager to reach a potential peace deal as quickly as possible.
Marshal Asim Munir, Pakistan's army chief, who has established himself as a key intermediary between the US and Iran, arrived in Tehran on Wednesday as the head of a high-level delegation, Iranian media reported earlier in the day.
Earlier, a senior Iranian source told Reuters that Pakistan's army chief was coming to Tehran “to bridge the gap between Iran and the US” in order to prevent a resumption of war.
Munir's delegation, which will deliver a new message from Washington, is expected to meet Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and discuss “aspects related to the second round of negotiations,” according to Iranian public broadcaster IRIB, citing Pakistani sources.
Asim Munir's meeting with Abbas Araqchi, according to Iranian media reports, comes amid a wider diplomatic offensive to hold a second round of talks between the US and Iran, after high-level meetings between the two countries late last week in Pakistan's capital (Islamabad) failed to reach an agreement.
On Tuesday, Trump said “something” would happen “in the next couple of days” in Islamabad, telling a New York Post reporter in the Pakistani capital to stay in the city. “You should stay there (in Pakistan, no), really, because something could happen in the next couple of days, and we're leaning towards going there,” Trump said in a brief interview with the American publication.
The Strait of Hormuz, one of the key points where the negotiations have stalled
Iran's “10-point proposal” is a peace plan offered to the US to end hostilities. The US has proposed its own 15-point plan, which has not been fully disclosed but is believed to include Iran pledging to give up its nuclear weapons, surrender its highly enriched uranium, limit Tehran's defense capabilities and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
On Tuesday, two people familiar with the ongoing talks between the US and Iran told NBC News that another round of face-to-face negotiations between delegations from Washington and Tehran could take place as early as this week.
The opening of the Strait of Hormuz is a major sticking point in negotiations between the US and Iran, one of the people said. Iran's nuclear capability is another sticking point, the second source said.
The US asked Iran during marathon talks in Islamabad for a 20-year moratorium on uranium enrichment, the source added. Tehran agreed to three to five years, which Trump said was not acceptable.
