President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Iran’s “new president” has asked the United States for a ceasefire.
But President Trump said on Truth Social that the US would only “consider” the proposal once the Strait of Hormuz was “open, free and transparent.”
“Until then, we will either blow Iran into oblivion or, as the saying goes, return to the Stone Age!!!” he wrote.
Al Jazeera reported late Wednesday morning, citing unnamed Iranian officials.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragushi told Al Jazeera on Tuesday that Iran was not seeking a ceasefire, but an end to the war.
“There are no negotiations at this time,” Araghchi said in an interview, according to a translation.
The White House did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for additional information about the conflict over the alleged ceasefire call.
It is unclear whether any requests were made directly to the United States, as Trump’s post suggested, or whether they were made through an intermediary such as Pakistan.
And even if President Massoud Pezeshikian calls for a ceasefire, he may not have the final say. This means that Iran’s supreme leader, not the president, has ultimate authority in the Islamic Republic.
The current supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has refrained from making public appearances since taking office after his father, the former Ayatollah Khamenei, was killed in an airstrike at the start of the war.
Since the war began with the U.S. and Israeli attack on Iran on February 28, the two countries have frequently contradicted each other’s claims about the existence and status of peace negotiations.
Trump’s “Truth Social” announcement came hours before he was scheduled to deliver “an important update on Iran” in an address to the nation, according to the White House.
The address will be set at 9:00 PM ET.
The month-long war quickly caused widespread economic disruption and significant fluctuations in global energy prices. The turmoil has much to do with Iran’s ability to maintain an effective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which accounts for much of the world’s oil shipments.
President Trump has acknowledged that the strait remains a key stalemate in the war, even as he and other administration officials insist that Iranian forces have been “destroyed” and that the United States is rapidly achieving its goals.
