US President Donald Trump sends a peace plan to Iran and voices optimism, as Tehran announces it will allow ‘non-hostile’ oil vessels through the Strait of Hormuz.
TEHRAN: US President Donald Trump has sent a peace plan to Iran, voicing optimism about ending the nearly month-long war.
The diplomatic move coincided with Tehran announcing it will allow “non-hostile” oil vessels to pass through the crucial Strait of Hormuz.
Trump stated the United States is “in negotiations right now” with Iran, which has not confirmed any formal talks.
“They gave us a present and the present arrived today. And it was a very big present worth a tremendous amount of money,” Trump told reporters.
He did not elaborate but said it related to the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran had largely blockaded in retaliation for strikes.
Iran subsequently assured safe passage to “non-hostile vessels” through the strait, a gateway for one-fifth of the world’s oil.
Trump had earlier threatened to “obliterate” Iran’s power plants if it did not open the strait by a deadline he later extended.
He said the peace plan “all starts with, they cannot have a nuclear weapon.”
The New York Times, quoting unnamed officials, said the US sent a 15-point plan to Iran through Pakistan.
Israeli media reported the proposal includes a one-month ceasefire and discussions on handing over Iran’s enriched uranium.
Iran would also ensure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz and see an end to all sanctions.
In return, Iran would receive assistance in developing civil nuclear energy at its Bushehr site.
Iran on Tuesday accused Israel of carrying out a second strike on the Bushehr facility.
“The sounds, the explosions, the missiles — they are part of our daily life now,” a Tehran resident told AFP.
Despite the diplomacy, The Wall Street Journal reported the US is planning to send 3,000 soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East.
Iranian missiles have found growing success penetrating Israeli defences, with images showing damage in Tel Aviv.
More than a dozen people were injured in Israel on Tuesday, including an infant, according to first responders.
Israel said it conducted a “large wave” of airstrikes across several areas of Iran.
Israeli military spokesman Effie Defrin said the war plan was “unchanged” and would continue “to deepen the damage.”
Israel has also stepped up its campaign against the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon.
It said its military would take control of south Lebanon up to the Litani river, about 30 kilometres from the border.
The Israeli military warned residents of Beirut’s southern suburbs, Hezbollah strongholds, to evacuate.
The campaign has killed at least 1,072 people in Lebanon, with more than one million displaced.
Lebanon ordered the Iranian ambassador to leave, accusing Tehran of meddling and commanding Hezbollah.
Gulf states including Bahrain and Saudi Arabia said they intercepted renewed drone and missile attacks.
Oil prices, which had tumbled, rebounded slightly in Tuesday trade with Brent back above $100 a barrel.