US appears cold to Iranian proposal

The Trump administration seemed unlikely on Tuesday to accept Iran's offer to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz if the US lifts its blockade on the country.

The proposal would postpone discussions on the Islamic Republic’s nuclear programme, something that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio appeared to rule out in a Fox News interview on Monday.

"We have to ensure that any deal that is made, any agreement that is made, is one that definitively prevents them from sprinting towards a nuclear weapon at any point,” he said of the proposal, which was delivered to the US by Pakistan.

The White House said US President Donald Trump's national security team discussed the offer and Trump would address it later.

In this photo released by Tasnim News Agency, a Revolutionary Guard Navy (IRGC) speedboat approaches the cargo ship Epaminondas during what state media described as the seizure of one of two vessels accused of violations in the Strait of Hormuz, April 21. File/AP

The offer emerged on Monday as Iran Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi visited Russia, which has long been a key backer of Tehran. It was unclear what, if any, assistance Moscow might offer now.

Since the war began, at least 3,375 people have been killed in Iran and at least 2,521 people in Lebanon, where fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed HIzbollah group 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. Sixteen Israeli soldiers in Lebanon, 13 US service members in the region and six UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon have been killed.

Associated Press