US President Donald Trump says he will order American forces to hold off on new strikes against Iran, claiming Mideast allies have reached the parameters of a deal to end the 5-month old war.
The emerging deal "would include the Immediate, Complete, and Total OPENING OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT, and an end to Iran's nuclear threat," Trump wrote in a Saturday evening social media post.
"Based on this request, I have agreed, for the future benefit of the WORLD and, likewise, the survival of a successful and prosperous Iran, to cancel the attack, subject to being able to rapidly make a DEAL," Trump said.
However, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said on Sunday that the Strait of Hormuz "will in no way return to the status it was before February 28th," the day the war started.
On a call with Iranian state TV, he added that Iran is discussing shipping through the strait with Oman, on the other side of Hormuz, but that there's no current talk about reopening the crucial waterway.
Trump has announced halts to strikes in Iran on several occasions since the United States and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, only for things to unravel and fighting to resume again.
Iran's defence minister said on X that the country was "neither surprised nor passive" following Trump's announcement and said Iran continues to remain alert in the face of concrete threats from the US.
While Iran's leaders appear united in a war strategy signalling strength and endurance, a struggle for control seems to be brewing within the theocracy's leadership between those who oppose all negotiations with the US and others who count on military pressure to win at the negotiating table.
Latest proposal would bring sides back to negotiating table
A regional official says the proposal announced by Trump over the weekend calls for the US and Iran to return to negotiations and continue working out many of the issues that have stymied prior progress on the deal.
The official, who is involved in the mediation efforts, said the proposal calls for reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and halting attacks across the region, including by Iranian-backed militias in Iraq on the Arab Gulf countries and Jordan.
The US, in exchange, will end its naval blockade on Iran and allow Tehran to export its oil as stated in the tentative ceasefire deal, he said.
No deal has been reached yet, but mediation efforts are underway, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorised to talk to the media.
Trump said that Israel is joining his commitment to end the war by implementing the ceasefire deal. Israel did not publicly comment on the announcement.
Saudis concerned about Iran retaliation
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom's de facto leader, spoke with Trump by phone Saturday and raised concerns about the US potentially escalating the conflict with Iran, according to the Saudi press agency.
The Saudis, according to a person briefed on the substance of the call but not authorised to comment publicly, are concerned that Tehran could respond with attacks on the energy infrastructure of the kingdom and other Gulf countries. The call happened before Trump's social media announcement, the person said.
The crown prince sought clarity from Trump on what potential new action he was weighing to take against Iran, the person said.
A White House official, who was not authorised to comment publicly and requested anonymity, confirmed the leaders spoke Saturday but did not offer any detail.
Iran has repeatedly attacked vessels attempting to transit through the Strait of Hormuz without its authorisation as part of its ongoing conflict with the US.
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