Hormuz Strait proposal: Trump meets national security team to review Iran talks

US President Donald Trump met the national security team on Monday to review Irans latest proposal on the Hormuz Strait. The strait is a key route for moving about one-fifth of global oil. The meeting came as Washington weighed the offer alongside the wider standoff with Iran. Officials have not shared a final outcome from the talks.

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White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said the issue was discussed, but avoided giving details. Leavitt told reporters that Trump would address the subject soon. "I would just say that there was a discussion this morning that I dont want to get ahead of. And youll hear directly from the president, Im sure, on this topic very soon,\" Leavitt told reporters at the White House.

Hormuz Strait proposal and US red lines

ABC News reported, citing an official, that Iran offered new terms over the weekend. The report said the terms aimed to settle the conflict more permanently. However, the official said the proposal still seemed to miss the administrations red lines. The White House has not publicly described what those red lines are.

Trumps meeting also took place as the US administration took a favourable view of its naval blockade. The blockade has focused on Irans ports, as per the same reporting. The discussions linked the Hormuz Strait proposal with pressure already applied at sea. US officials have not announced any change to that posture.

Hormuz Strait talks and Rubio on Iran divisions

Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Fox News that Iranian negotiators appeared focused on making a deal. Rubio also suggested Iran was trying to gain time. \"I think they are serious about getting themselves out of the mess that theyre in; there are all the problems Iran had,\" he said. Rubio did not give details of the proposed terms.

Rubio said internal rifts in Iran reduce what negotiators can commit to in talks. Rubio said factions often disagree, which can narrow the space for any settlement. \"The other is that theyre deeply fractured internally, and I think thats always been the case, but I think its far more pronounced now,\" he said.

Rubio said Irans system adds another barrier for diplomacy with the US. \"In the Fox News interview, Rubio said the fact that Iran is run by radical Shia clerics is a pretty big impediment.\" Rubio also described a split inside the leadership over governance and ideology. Rubio framed the split as shaping how far any offer can go.

Rubio said labels such as moderates and hardliners can mislead. \"People talk about moderates and hardliners. Theyre all hardliners in Iran. But there are hardliners who understand they have to run a country and an economy, and there are hardliners that are completely motivated by theology,\" he said. Rubio said these differences affect decisions on policy and negotiation.

Rubio said theology-driven leaders hold the strongest levers of power in Iran. \"Unfortunately, the hardliners with an apocalyptic vision of the future have the ultimate power in that country,\" Rubio said. Rubio said this group includes senior figures around the supreme leader. Rubio said this reality shapes what the political class can deliver.

Rubio said US talks are not limited to one Iranian delegation. \"So as much as anything else, one of the impediments here is that our negotiators arent just negotiating with Iranians. Those Iranians then have to negotiate with other Iranians to figure out what they can agree to, what they can offer, what theyre willing to do, even who theyre willing to meet with,\" he said. Rubio suggested this slows progress.

For now, the White House has signalled that Trump will speak about the Hormuz Strait proposal soon. Reports said Iran has offered new terms, but those terms may not meet US conditions. Rubio has pointed to deep divisions within Iran as a major hurdle. Officials have not confirmed whether the latest discussions changed the US approach.

With inputs from PTI