Trump unhappy with Iran’s latest proposal to set aside nuclear deal until war ends

Open this photo in gallery:Vehicles drive past a giant billboard reading 'The Strait of Hormuz remains closed' at the Revolution Square in Tehran on Tuesday.ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty ImagesShareSave for laterPlease log in to bookmark this story.Log InCreate Free AccountU.S. President Donald Trump is unhappy with the latest Iranian proposal on resolving the two-month war, a U.S. official said, dampening hopes for resolution of a conflict that has disrupted energy supplies, fuelled inflation and killed thousands. Iran’s latest proposal would set aside discussion of Iran’s nuclear program until the war is ended and disputes over shipping from the Gulf are resolved.Trump is unhappy with Iran’s proposal as he wants nuclear issues dealt with from the outset, said a U.S. official briefed on the president’s Monday meeting with his advisers, speaking on condition of anonymity.White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales said the U.S. has “been clear about our red lines” as it seeks to end the war it began in February alongside Israel.Analysis: Both sides have weaponized the impasse in the Iran warA previous agreement in 2015 between Iran and multiple other countries including the U.S. sharply curtailed Iran’s nuclear program, which it has long maintained is for peaceful, civilian purposes. But that deal fell apart when Trump unilaterally withdrew from it in his first term in office. Hopes of reviving peace efforts have receded since the U.S. president scrapped a visit planned for last weekend by his special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner to mediator Pakistan. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi shuttled in and out of Islamabad twice during the weekend. He also visited Oman and on Monday went to Russia, where he met President Vladimir Putin and received words of support from a longstanding ally. Iran’s Deputy Defence Minister Reza Talaei-Nik said on Tuesday that Tehran was ready to share defensive weapons capabilities and experiences gained from “America’s defeat” with “independent” nations including those of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. That bloc includes Iran, Russia, China, India, Pakistan and Central Asian states.Open this photo in gallery:Vehicles and motorbikes drive along a street adorned with flags of Iran at the Revolution Square in Tehran on Tuesday.ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty ImagesOil prices rise againWith the warring sides still seemingly far apart, oil prices resumed their upward march, rising nearly 3 per cent on Tuesday and extending gains from the previous session.“For oil traders, it’s not the rhetoric that matters any more, but the actual physical flow of crude oil through the Strait of Hormuz, and right now, that flow remains constrained,” Fawad Razaqzada, market analyst at City Index and FOREX.com, said in a note. At least six tankers loaded with Iranian oil have been forced back to Iran by the U.S. blockade in recent days, ship-tracking data showed, underscoring the war’s impact on traffic.Iran’s foreign ministry condemned U.S. action against Iran-linked tankers as “outright legalization of piracy and armed robbery on the high seas,” in a social media post.However, government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani told state media on Tuesday that Iran had prepared for maritime blockade scenarios as early as the U.S. 2024 presidential election and made necessary arrangements so that “there is nothing to worry about.”‘See through’ Iran war? Markets exploit permacrisis insteadShe added Tehran was using northern, eastern…

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