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US Proposes 14-Point Deal to Iran to End War, Reopen Strait of Hormuz

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The United States and much of the world spent Thursday waiting for Iran’s formal response to a new American proposal to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a plan framed around a one‑page, 14‑point memorandum of understanding and a tight response window of days, not weeks axios +1. Oil and metals markets, along with shipping companies and regional governments, were on alert for any sign that the talks were either closing in on a breakthrough or about to collapse axios +1.

Washington’s framework sought to lock in a ceasefire, restore commercial traffic through the strategic waterway and lay out initial limits on Iran’s nuclear programme in exchange for phased sanctions relief and access to frozen funds, according to multiple diplomatic accounts jpost +1. Iran, which has circulated its own 14‑point peace plan focused on ending the war within about 30 days and asserting sovereignty and reparations claims, said it was still “reviewing” the latest American response, relaying messages through Pakistani mediators axios +1. President Donald Trump said there had been “good talks over the last 24 hours” and predicted the conflict would be “over quickly,” while simultaneously warning that if Tehran rejected the deal, bombing would resume “at a much higher level and intensity” jpost +1.

Inside the 14‑Point Trade‑Off: Strait of Hormuz vs. Nuclear Limits

U.S. officials described the new proposal as a pragmatic trade: Iran would halt attacks, reopen the Strait of Hormuz and accept immediate caps on uranium enrichment and exports to key buyers like China, while Washington would sequence sanctions relief and unfreeze some assets over time jpost +1. Iran’s published 14‑point counterplan instead front‑loaded an end to the war and the lifting of oil and financial sanctions, pushing more contentious nuclear issues and verification details into later phases, and characterising earlier U.S. offers as a “list of American wishes” theitem +1.

That gap over sequencing and guarantees remained the core obstacle. Tehran wanted firm timelines and legal assurances that economic relief would not be reversed by a future U.S. administration, whereas Trump’s team sought flexibility and snap‑back pressure tools, including the threat of intensified strikes if Iran was judged to be stalling or violating terms washingtonpost +1. Analysts warned that any framework would ultimately require sign‑off from Iran’s supreme leader, whose calculus would be shaped not just by battlefield realities but by domestic politics and perceptions of U.S. reliability after the collapse of previous nuclear agreements bbc +1.

Regional Mediators, Markets and Military Moves

Pakistan emerged as the most visible intermediary, with its foreign ministry saying it was “endeavouring to convert this ceasefire into a permanent end to this war” and expressing optimism that an agreement could be reached “sooner rather than later” axios. Israel maintained close coordination with Washington while continuing strikes against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, underscoring that even a U.S.–Iran deal on Hormuz and nuclear constraints would not automatically quiet other regional fronts bbc +1. Trump, for his part, paused “Project Freedom,” the U.S. operation to guide commercial vessels through the strait, presenting the halt as a gesture linked to diplomatic progress while keeping tens of thousands of U.S. troops in theater as leverage axios +1.

Financial markets treated every headline as a signal on risk. Brent crude slipped to about $97 a barrel on Thursday, roughly 4% lower on hopes of de‑escalation, while copper and other risk assets edged higher as traders bet on reduced disruption to global trade if the strait fully reopened yahoo +1. At the same time, the U.S. move to disable an Iranian‑flagged tanker accused of running the blockade, and reports of continuing skirmishes around key shipping lanes, underscored how quickly miscalculation could send prices and tensions spiking again axios +1.

The Bigger Picture

The waiting game over Iran’s reply captured both the urgency and fragility of this phase of the war: a conflict that began with U.S. and Israeli strikes in late February has battered global energy markets, stalled Trump’s Gaza peace agenda and drawn in multiple mediators, yet still hinges on a few pages of text and decisions taken in opaque inner circles in Washington and Tehran axios +2. Even if the current 14‑point framework produces a ceasefire and a reopened Strait of Hormuz, diplomats and regional states are bracing for a longer struggle over enforcement, nuclear constraints and proxy forces — a reminder that ending the shooting may be only the first step in redefining the U.S.–Iran relationship and the security order around the Gulf bbc +1.