Iran offers to end chokehold on Strait of Hormuz and asks US to end
blockade, officials say
[April 27, 2026]
By SAMY MAGDY, JON GAMBRELL and ELENA BECATOROS
CAIRO (AP) — Iran is offering to end its chokehold on the Strait of
Hormuz without addressing its nuclear program, two regional officials
with knowledge of the proposal said Monday, as the country's foreign
minister made a visit to Russia he said was an opportunity to consult
with Moscow regarding the war against Israel and the United States.
Iran also wants the U.S. to end its blockade of the country as part of
its proposal, said the two officials, who spoke on condition of
anonymity to discuss the closed-door negotiations.
The new proposal, passed to the United States by Pakistan, likely won't
be supported by U.S. President Donald Trump, who wants to end Iran’s
atomic program as part of an overall deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz
and make the ceasefire permanent.
“We have all the cards. If they want to talk, they can come to us, or
they can call us,” Trump said Sunday to Fox News Channel.
The Axios news outlet first reported Iran’s proposal.
Iran's foreign minister visits Russia
Iran's state-run IRNA news agency said Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi
landed in St. Petersburg on Monday morning ahead of a meeting with
Russian President Vladimir Putin. His trip over the weekend has included
two stops in Pakistan and a visit to Oman, which shares the strait with
Iran.
Araghchi’s visit comes as a standoff between Iran and the U.S. in the
crucial Strait of Hormuz persists despite a ceasefire, keeping oil
prices high.
“It is a good opportunity for us to consult with our Russian friends
about the developments that have occurred in relation to the war during
this period and what is happening now,” Araghchi said in a video
interview posted by IRNA.
Talks had been expected in Islamabad
Pakistan has been seeking to revive stalled talks between Iran and the
U.S., and negotiations had been expected in Islamabad over the weekend.
But U.S. President Donald Trump has suggested the talks could take place
by phone instead.
Araghchi said it was America’s approach that “caused the negotiations to
be delayed.”
“The previous one, despite the progress that had been made, could not
achieve its goals,” he said, blaming what he called Washington’s
“excessive demands.”
Trump has questioned who is in charge in Iran at the moment and said
confusion within its theocracy made it difficult to reach a deal.
The White House last week said it would dispatch envoys Steve Witkoff
and Jared Kushner to Islamabad to follow up on historic face-to-face
talks earlier this month. But Araghchi left the Pakistani capital
Saturday, and shortly afterward Trump said he had called off the mission
because of a lack of progress with Iran.
“If they want, we can talk but we’re not sending people,” Trump told Fox
News on Sunday. He said earlier on social media: “All they have to do is
call!!!”
Araghchi later returned to Islamabad, and also visited Oman's capital of
Muscat before heading to Russia. He also spoke by phone with
counterparts in Qatar and Saudi Arabia on Sunday.
Strait of Hormuz at center of Iran’s discussions in Oman
A standoff remains on the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the
Persian Gulf through which a fifth of all traded oil and natural gas
normally passes, as Iran has restricted movement through it and the U.S.
enforces a blockade of Iranian ports.
The June contract for Brent crude, the international standard, was
trading at around $107 per barrel Monday, compared with $72 a barrel
before the war began.
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A woman walks past an anti-U.S. graffiti painted on the wall of the
Tehran University on Enqelab-e-Eslami (Islamic Revolution) street in
downtown Tehran, Iran, Saturday, April 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid
Salemi)
Oil prices have risen steadily since the war began and tankers full
of crude became stranded in the Persian Gulf, unable to safely
transit through the strait and reach global distribution points.
The economic fallout is growing two months into the war as global
shipments of not only oil, but also liquefied natural gas,
fertilizer and other supplies are disrupted by the near-closure of
the strategic strait.
Iran wants to persuade Oman to support a mechanism to collect tolls
from vessels passing through the strait, according to a regional
official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not
authorized to discuss the matter.
Oman’s response wasn’t immediately clear.
The official, who is involved in mediation efforts, also said Iran
insisted on ending the U.S. blockade before new talks and that
Pakistan-led mediators are trying to bridge significant gaps between
the countries.
Trump last week indefinitely extended the ceasefire the U.S. and
Iran agreed to on April 7 that has largely halted fighting that
began with joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran on Feb. 28. But a
permanent settlement remains elusive in the war that has killed
thousands of people and shaken the global economy.
Even before Saturday’s developments, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said
any talks would be indirect and Pakistani officials would act as
go-betweens, reflecting Tehran’s wariness after rounds of indirect
talks last year and earlier this year ended with Iran being attacked
by the U.S. and Israel.
Trump says Iran has offered a ‘much better’ proposal
Both sides have continued to make military threats. Iran’s joint
military command Saturday warned that “if the U.S. continues its
aggressive military actions, including naval blockades, banditry,
and piracy” it will face a “strong response.”
Trump last week ordered the military to “shoot and kill” small boats
that could be placing mines in the waterway.
Trump told journalists Saturday that within 10 minutes of him
canceling Witkoff and Kushner’s trip to Islamabad, Iran sent a “much
better” proposal.
He did not elaborate but stressed that one of his conditions is that
Iran “will not have a nuclear weapon.” The status of Iran’s enriched
uranium has long been at the center of tensions. Tehran has 440
kilograms (970 pounds) of uranium enriched to 60% purity, a short,
technical step from weapons-grade levels, according to the U.N.
nuclear watchdog agency.
Since the war began, at least 3,375 people have been killed in Iran
and at least 2,509 people in Lebanon, where the Israel-Hezbollah
fighting resumed two days after the Iran war started. Another 23
people have been killed in Israel and more than a dozen in Gulf Arab
states. Fifteen Israeli soldiers in Lebanon, 13 U.S. service members
in the region and six U.N. peacekeepers in southern Lebanon have
been killed.
Another ceasefire — between Israel and the Iranian-backed Lebanese
militant Hezbollah group — has been extended by three weeks.
Hezbollah has not participated in the Washington-brokered diplomacy.
___
Gambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Becatoros
reported from Athens, Greece. AP journalist Munir Ahmed in Islamabad
contributed to this report.
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