Trump not satisfied with Iran's latest offer to reopen Strait of Hormuz: Report

US President Donald Trump has expressed dissatisfaction with Iran’s latest proposal to reopen the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz and end the war, according to a report by The New York Times citing people briefed on White House discussions.

Iran has offered to open the strait if the United States ends its military campaign and lifts restrictions on Tehran, while postponing negotiations over its nuclear program, the report said.

The proposal appears to have gained little traction in Washington, where Trump has repeatedly insisted that any agreement must ensure Iran cannot obtain nuclear weapons.

It was not immediately clear why Trump rejected the latest offer, but officials have indicated that sidelining nuclear issues would be unacceptable.

“The United States will not negotiate through the press — we have been clear about our red lines and the president will only make a deal that’s good for the American people and the world,” White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales said in a statement.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also indicated that any deal excluding Iran’s nuclear program would be a non-starter.

“We can’t let them get away with it,” Rubio said in an interview with Fox News on Monday. “We have to ensure that any agreement … definitively prevents them from sprinting towards a nuclear weapon.”

Iran has repeatedly rejected US demands to suspend uranium enrichment or hand over its stockpile of highly enriched uranium.

The standoff comes as the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has sent oil and gasoline prices soaring, increasing political pressure on Trump ahead of midterm elections and straining ties with Gulf allies that rely on the waterway to export energy.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has stepped up diplomatic outreach amid the conflict.

On Monday, he met Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg, according to Russia’s state news agency Tass.

Araghchi said the United States had failed to achieve its objectives in the war and was now seeking negotiations. “That’s why they ask for negotiation,” he told Russian state television. “We are now considering it.”

In recent days, Araghchi has also travelled to Pakistan and Oman, meeting senior officials including Pakistan’s army chief Asim Munir and Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said to discuss regional security and diplomatic efforts.

According to Axios, Iranian officials have told mediators from several countries that Tehran has yet to reach a consensus on how to respond to US demands to halt uranium enrichment for at least a decade.