Report: US and Iran discussing ceasefire for reopening strait
The U.S. and Iran are discussing a potential deal that would involve a ceasefire in exchange for Iran reopening the Strait of Hormuz, three U.S. officials told U.S. news portal Axios on Wednesday.
The officials did not say whether those discussions had taken place directly or only through mediators, and they cautioned that it was unclear whether a deal could be reached. But the officials said U.S. President Donald Trump was discussing the possibility with officials inside and outside the administration.
Trump raised the talks around a possible ceasefire in a call on Wednesday with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, according to two sources with knowledge.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance has been talking to the mediators about the possible ceasefire as recently as Tuesday, according to a source familiar.
The source said Vance passed a message to Iran via the mediators that the U.S. is open to a ceasefire if its demands are met, including the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Vance also reiterated Trump's threats to attack Iranian infrastructure if no deal is reached, the source said.
Trump claimed on Wednesday that Iran had asked the U.S. for a ceasefire, but stressed he would only consider it if the strait was reopened.
China and Pakistan presented a peace initiative along those lines on Tuesday.
Iran's Foreign Ministry swiftly denied Trump's claim, and Tehran has consistently denied holding any direct negotiations with Washington.
Trump might have been referring to a statement Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian made on Tuesday during a call with European Council President António Costa.
Pezeshkian said Iran was willing to end the war but only if the U.S. stopped its attacks and Iran received guarantees that the war would not resume.
"Iran's New Regime President, much less Radicalized and far more intelligent than his predecessors, has just asked the United States of America for a CEASEFIRE! We will consider when Hormuz Strait is open, free, and clear," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
He stressed that in the meantime the U.S. will continue "blasting Iran into oblivion or, as they say, back to the Stone Ages!!!"
A spokesperson for Iran's Foreign Ministry called Trump's post "false and baseless."
Trump has repeatedly suggested the war will end soon, though he kept a potential ground operation on the table.
Israel and Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia, are reportedly urging Trump to push on. Meanwhile, some in the White House are on the lookout for off-ramps.
Trump will address the nation at 0100 GMT on Iran.
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