US reviews latest Iranian proposal to end war stalemate

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi walks with Pakistan's Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar and Army Chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir upon his arrival to discuss proposals for restarting peace talks with the U.S., in Islamabad, Pakistan, Apr. 24. Pakistan's Ministry of Information/Handout via Reuters-YonhapWASHINGTON/ISLAMABAD/DUBAI — U.S. President Donald Trump discussed a new Iranian proposal on resolving the war with Tehran with his top national security aides on Monday, with the conflict currently in a stalemate and energy supplies from the region reduced.Iranian sources disclosed Tehran's latest proposal earlier on Monday, which would set aside discussion of Iran's nuclear programme until the war is ended and disputes over shipping from the Gulf are resolved. That is unlikely to satisfy Washington, which says nuclear issues must be dealt with from the outset.Work has not halted to bridge gaps between the U.S. and Iran, sources from mediator Pakistan said, despite the absence of face-to-face diplomacy after Trump called off a trip by his envoys over the weekend.Hopes of reviving peace efforts have receded since the U.S. president scrapped a visit on Saturday by his envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner to Islamabad, the Pakistani capital, where Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi shuttled in and out twice over the weekend.Araqchi also visited Oman over the weekend and went to Russia on Monday, where he met President Vladimir Putin and received words of support from a longstanding ally.Oil prices rise againWith the warring sides still seemingly far apart on issues including Iran's nuclear ambitions and access through the crucial Strait of Hormuz, oil prices resumed their upward march on Monday, hitting a two-week high.Trump met his national security team on Monday morning."I don't want to get ahead of the president or his national security team," said White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt."What I will reiterate is that the president's red lines with respect to Iran have been made very, very clear, not just to the American public, but also to them as well."Araqchi told reporters in Russia that Trump had requested negotiations because the U.S. has not achieved any of its objectives.Islamabad reopens after lockdown to host talksSenior Iranian sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters the proposal carried by Araqchi to Islamabad over the weekend envisioned talks in stages, with the nuclear issue to be set aside at the start.A first step would require ending the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran and providing guarantees that Washington cannot start it up again. Then negotiators would resolve the U.S. blockade and the fate of the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran aims to reopen under its control.Only then would talks look at other issues, including the longstanding dispute over Iran's nuclear programme, with Iran still seeking some kind of U.S. acknowledgment of its right to enrich uranium for what it says are peaceful purposes.In a sign that no face-to-face meetings are planned any time soon, streets reopened in Pakistan's capital Islamabad, which had been locked down for a week in anticipation of talks that never took place.Pakistani officials said negotiations were still taking place remotely, but there were no plans to convene a meeting in person until the sides were close enough to sign a memorandum.Shipping snarled by both sidesAlthough a ceasefire has paused the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran that began on…

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