US President Donald Trump met with his top security advisers on Monday to discuss an Iranian proposal that would reportedly reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the White House said.
Asked about the Iranian proposal to unblock the Strait of Hormuz by both Iran and the United States ahead of further talks on Tehran’s nuclear programme, White House spokeswoman Caroline Leavitt said “the proposal is under discussion”.
“Just because it was reported, I confirm that the president met with his national security team this morning … I wouldn’t say they’re considering it. I would just say there was a discussion this morning. I’m sure you’re going to hear directly from the president about it very soon,” she said, declining to say whether Trump would accept the offer.
Leavitt also noted that “the president’s red lines on Iran have been very clearly explained not only to the American public, but also to himself.”
At the same time, Secretary of State Marco Rubio criticised Iran’s proposal.
If by opening the straits they mean: yes, the straits are open, if you coordinate with Iran, get our permission, otherwise we’ll blow you up and you’ll pay us. That’s not an opening,” Rubio said.
“They cannot normalise, and we cannot tolerate their attempts to normalise, a system where the Iranians decide who can use an international waterway and how much you have to pay them to use it,” the US secretary of state added.
Earlier, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and said it would open fire on any vessel that tries to pass through the route.
US President Donald Trump has ordered the destruction of vessels that mine the area around the Strait of Hormuz.
On 27 April, the US publication Axios quoted its sources as saying that Iran had submitted a new proposal to the US to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end the war.
Iran’s blockage of the Strait of Hormuz, an important waterway through which a fifth of the world’s oil trade normally passes, has driven up energy prices and undermined confidence in maritime transport.
White House: Trump discussed Iran’s proposal with security advisers