US President Donald Trump said on Monday that his representatives were having “very positive discussions” with Iran that could “lead to something very positive for all”.
He made these remarks in a Truth Social Post, also announcing an initiative to guide vessels stuck in the Strait of Hormuz out of the waterway, hours after Tehran said on Sunday that the United States had responded to its 14-point proposal via Pakistan.
Iranian state media quoted a foreign ministry spokesperson as saying that Tehran was reviewing the response.
Later, US Special Envoy on Middle East Steve Witkoff told CNN the US was “in conversation” with Iran as they weighed negotiations to end the war.
This was followed by Trump’s post on Truth Social, where he said: “I am fully aware that my Representatives are having very positive discussions with the Country of Iran, and that these discussions could lead to something very positive for all.”
He also said that countries from across the world, “almost all of which are not involved in the Middle Eastern dispute going on so visibly, and violently, for all to see, have asked the United States if we could help free up their Ships, which are locked up in the Strait of Hormuz”.
“For the good of Iran, the Middle East, and the United States, we have told these Countries that we will guide their Ships safely out of these restricted Waterways, so that they can freely and ably get on with their business.”
He added, “I have told my Representatives to inform them that we will use best efforts to get their Ships and Crews safely out of the Strait. In all cases, they said they will not be returning until the area becomes safe for navigation, and everything else”.
Trump announced that this process, “Project Freedom, will begin Monday morning, Middle East time”.
“The Ship movement is merely meant to free up people, companies, and Countries that have done absolutely nothing wrong — They are victims of circumstance. This is a Humanitarian gesture on behalf of the United States, Middle Eastern Countries but, in particular, the Country of Iran.
“Many of these Ships are running low on food, and everything else necessary for largescale crews to stay on board in a healthy and sanitary manner. I think it would go a long way in showing Goodwill on behalf of all of those who have been fighting so strenuously over the last number of months. If, in any way, this Humanitarian process is interfered with, that interference will, unfortunately, have to be dealt with forcefully,” he added.
The proposal
Negotiations between the US and Iran had been deadlocked since a ceasefire, brokered by Pakistan, came into effect on April 8, with only one round of direct peace talks held in Islamabad so far.
And after it was reported that Iran had submitted its 14-point proposal, Trump was initially quick to cast doubt on it.
“I will soon be reviewing the plan that Iran has just sent to us, but can’t imagine that it would be acceptable in that they have not yet paid a big enough price for what they have done to Humanity, and the World, over the last 47 years,” he had said on his Truth Social platform.
US news website Axios reported, citing two sources briefed on the proposal, that it set “a one-month deadline for negotiations on a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, end the US naval blockade and permanently end the war in Iran and in Lebanon”.
Separately, Al Jazeera reported, citing sources, that the proposal envisaged three main stages, aiming to “transform the ceasefire into an end to the war within 30 days”.
According to the report, the proposal “envisions a pledge of nonaggression, including from Israel, to ensure there’s no return to war and an end to fighting throughout the Middle East”.
It said the proposal suggested the gradual reopening of the Strait of Hormuz in the first phase, as well as lifting of the US blockade of Iranian ports.
Under the proposed plan, Tehran would take charge of dealing with sea mines, the report said.
It added that the second phase was proposed to include “Iran’s return to uranium enrichment after the time limit at 3.6 per cent in accordance with the ‘zero-storage principle’“.
Moreover, the plan includes the US and Israel refraining from attacking Iran and its allies in exchange for Iran refraining from launching strikes, the report said, adding that Iran had also rejected “dismantling nuclear infrastructure or destroying Iran’s facilities”.
“Lifting sanctions includes the gradual release of frozen funds,” it said.
In the third phase, Tehran proposed to enter “into a strategic dialogue with Arab neighbours and building a security system that includes the entire Middle East”, the report stated.
‘Impossible operation or bad deal’
Following Trump’s remarks about the proposal likely being unacceptable, the Revolutionary Guards said he must choose between “an impossible operation or a bad deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran”.
“The room for US decision-making has narrowed,” they said.
The day before, Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi told diplomats in Tehran that “the ball is in the United States’ court to choose the path of diplomacy or the continuation of a confrontational approach”.
Iran, he said, was “prepared for both paths”.
‘If they misbehave’
In a brief interview with reporters in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Saturday, the US president declined to specify what could trigger new American military action.
“If they misbehave, if they do something bad, but right now, we’ll see,” he said. “But it’s a possibility that could happen, certainly.”
Mohsen Rezaei, a military adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, said Iranian forces would sink US ships.
“The US is the only pirate in the world that possesses aircraft carriers. Our ability to confront pirates is no less than our ability to sink warships. Prepare to face a graveyard of your carriers and forces,” he posted on X.
His remarks came after Trump, while addressing a rally in Florida, compared the US action in the sea to that of pirates. “We’re like pirates” as he described an earlier helicopter raid on an oil tanker under the US blockade of Iranian ports.
“We … landed on top of it, and we took over the ship. We took over the cargo, took over the oil. It’s a very profitable business,” he remarked.
On Sunday, Iran’s envoy to Pakistan, Reza Amiri Moghadam also said that the continuation of talks between Tehran and Washington depended on the latter’s behaviour.
He expressed these views while speaking to Iranian official news agency IRNA.
The envoy said Iran had shared a comprehensive plan with the US, but “progress hinges on the US’s sincerity and willingness to resolve issues through genuine diplomatic efforts”.
He reiterated Iran’s commitment to safeguarding its national interests and defending its rights.
Moghadam also appreciated Pakistan for its efforts in facilitating dialogue between the US and Iran, and criticised US behavior, describing it as “unpredictable and aggressive”.
