Iran’s draft plan, reported by Al Jazeera, includes reopening the Strait of Hormuz, freezing uranium enrichment for up to 15 years and launching a regional security dialogue in exchange for sanctions relief and an end to the blockade.
Trump has notified Congress that hostilities have ended, but diplomatic officials tell Israel Hayom that the naval blockade on oil exports will continue for months. While Washington is betting on the regime’s internal collapse, Tehran refuses to budge on the nuclear issue and will have to contend with a failing currency and oil wells being shut down.
The US naval blockade imposed on Iran’s ports over the past 20 days has cost the regime $4.8 billion in lost oil revenue, according to Axios. Bloomberg: Tehran is proactively cutting oil production. The solution? old tankers for offshore oil storage.
Iran’s largest cryptocurrency exchange is being used by both civilians and the regime to bypass Western sanctions. Its founders, brothers Ali and Mohammad, concealed their surname, Kharrazi, a dynasty that has been close to the supreme leader’s office throughout the Islamic Republic’s existence. The exchange has been targeted by hackers and used by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, but has so far escaped sanctions
The debate in the US is whether to continue relying on economic pressure alone, or to add a focused strike to push Iran into agreeing to at least some of the American terms. In Iran, the economic pressure is mounting: long lines, inflation, and salaries being paid only to Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps personnel.
US Central Command chief is expected to present US president with a range of military options. Scenarios include "short and powerful" strikes on infrastructure, aimed at increasing pressure on Tehran.
In an early-morning Truth Social post, the president threatened to drop his conciliatory approach – as intelligence officials weigh how Tehran might respond to a unilateral US victory declaration.
Washington believes that as part of the ongoing talks with Iran, another proposal will soon be placed on the table, one much closer to the US terms. US officials say that within 10 days, Iran will be forced to stop production at some of its oil fields, and within three weeks, nearly all oil production will stop.
Tehran proposed a plan that would include reopening the Strait of Hormuz while postponing questions related to its nuclear program for separate negotiations at a later stage. According to US officials, reopening the strait without resolving the issue of Iranian uranium enrichment and Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium near weapons-grade level is a key bargaining chip that the US will not easily give up.
President Donald Trumpis expected to meet with senior officials amid the deadlock with Tehran to discuss all available options to the US going forward. "If they want to talk, they can come to us, or they can call us. You know, there is a telephone. We have nice, secure lines," the president said.
