Saudi Arabia is pressing the Trump administration to drop the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, now entering its second day, fearing it could lead to the disruption of other shipping routes, according to a new report.
Concretely, officials said Tehran could retaliate to the move by closing Bab al-Mandeb, a key waterway in the Red Sea through which much of the country's remaining exports transit, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The outlet went on to detail that the country has been able to restore exports to pre-war levels by routing them through its pipeline to the Red Sea. However, Iran and its allies have threatened to block the region too if the war escalates.
White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly reacted to the report, saying that "President Trump has been clear that he wants the Strait of Hormuz to be fully open to facilitate the free flow of energy."
"The administration is in frequent contact with our Gulf allies, who the President is helping by ensuring that Iran cannot extort the United States or any other country," she added.
In this context, Bloomberg reported that Iran is considering a short-term pause to shipments through the Strait of Hormuz to avoid testing the U.S. blockade. The outlet noted that the pause could show an intention to preserve relations ahead of potential new talks.
A Pakistani officer told CBS News that Islamabad is intensifying efforts to host a second round of talks before the ceasefire ends next week. Authorities, the report claimed, are cautiously optimistic about the direction of negotiations despite the lack of an agreement during the weekend.
The official told the outlet that they are in active contact with both countries urging them to resume dialogue as soon as possible and is waiting for response from them.
In the first round, the Trump administration proposed a 20-year moratorium on uranium enrichment to Iran to move towards a ceasefire, according to another report.
Axios detailed that Tehran signaled openness to the idea but for a shorter, "single digit" period. Despite the stalemate, Trump said Iranian leaders called him on Monday and they "would like to work a deal."
Speaking to press at the White House, Trump said he got a call from "the right people" in the country about resuming talks, but emphasized on the need to get a commitment from Tehran about not pursuing a nuclear weapon.
"If they don't agree, there's no deal, there'll never be a deal," he said. "Iran will not have a nuclear weapon, and we're going to get the dust back. We'll get it back, either we'll get it back from them, or we'll take it," he added, in reference to the nuclear material targeted last year as part of the 12-day war with Israel.
