‘Strait of Hormuz will be opened’: Trump’s new peace pledge

Trump posted on Truth Social this morning that he had spoken with leaders and representatives from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan and Bahrain.

“An agreement has been substantially negotiated, subject to finalization, between the United States of America, the Islamic Republic of Iran and the various other countries as noted,” Trump wrote.

“The final aspects and details of the deal are currently being discussed and will be announced shortly. Among many other elements of the agreement, the Strait of Hormuz will be opened.”

Trump also said he spoke separately with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a call he said went “very well.”

Trump recently called off a threatened resumption of hostilities in the Middle East and claimed progress in negotiations.

The US Navy continues to blockade Iranian ports as Iran insists it will maintain control of the crucial Strait of Hormuz trade channel.

Trump’s post made no mention of Iran’s nuclear program and highly enriched uranium, which Iran later tried to talk about.

The US and Iran were nearing an agreement to end the war, a regional official with direct knowledge of Pakistan-led mediation efforts said earlier this weekend.

Pakistani army chief Field Marshal General Asim Munir visited Tehran this weekend to speak to President Masoud Pezeshkian.

The unnamed official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss closed-door deliberations, warned that “last-minute disputes” could blow up the effort. This is not the first time in recent weeks that a deal has been described as close.

He said the possible deal would include an official declaration of the end of the war, with two months of negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program. The Strait of Hormuz would be reopened and the US would end the blockade of Iranian ports.

Iran, meanwhile, had signaled that differences in negotiations with the US were narrowing after Pakistan’s army chief held more talks in Tehran, and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters in India that some progress has been made and news may come later today.

Both Iran and the US emphasized their key positions and have warned of the risks of resuming attacks and disrupting their ceasefire. Rubio reiterated the US position that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon and must surrender its highly enriched uranium, and that the Strait of Hormuz must be open.

Iranian state television earlier quoted Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei as describing the draft as a “framework agreement” and adding: “We want this to include the main issues necessary to end the imposed war and other issues that are essential to us.” Then, over a reasonable period of time, between 30 and 60 days, details are discussed and ultimately a final agreement is reached.’

“Over the past week, the trend has been toward narrowing differences,” Baghaei told Iran’s official news agency IRNA, adding that nuclear issues are not part of the current negotiations.

“Our focus at this stage is on ending the war on all fronts, including Lebanon,” Baghaei said, adding that lifting sanctions on Tehran “is explicitly included in the text and remains our firm position.”

– with Associated Press.

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