Trump was willing to end Iran war without nuclear deal, but Tehran raised demands: Report

US President Donald Trump was prepared to end the West Asia conflict without securing a deal on Iran’s nuclear programme if Tehran agreed to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing US officials.

According to the report, Trump had privately discussed the possibility with senior aides and was preparing to declare an end to the conflict if Iran restored free passage through the strategic waterway.

However, Tehran on Saturday raised the stakes by demanding billions of dollars in US compensation in return for allowing maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran also called for the withdrawal of American forces from the region and an end to the US naval blockade, among other conditions.

The Trump administration had initially insisted that any agreement to end the conflict must address Iran’s nuclear programme. Trump later sought to separate the nuclear issue from broader negotiations aimed at ending the war, but Iran’s demands have complicated those efforts.

Iran’s leverage narrows Trump’s options

Iran’s latest demands could further reduce Trump’s room for manoeuvre, the WSJ reported. Tehran has significant leverage over the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global shipping route, where missile and drone attacks have disrupted commercial traffic and heightened concerns over energy markets.

Trump has repeatedly claimed in recent weeks that the strait remains open, even as maritime traffic has remained severely restricted. He has also threatened Iran with a “massive bombing campaign” while Tehran has signalled that it is prepared for a prolonged conflict.

Trump’s push to end the war could also be influenced by the approaching US midterm elections, due in less than three months. Rising gasoline prices, which are significantly higher than before the conflict began in late February, could pose a political challenge for the US president.

Iran’s Guards reject reopening Strait

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Sunday that the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed until Washington accepts Tehran’s demands, including compensation for damage caused by the war, AFP reported.

Iranian security chief Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr had outlined the conditions a day earlier, calling for an end to what Tehran described as the “war and aggression against Iran” and its allies in Lebanon, Palestine, Yemen and Iraq.

The Revolutionary Guards said Iran would maintain the closure until all its conditions were met, declaring that the Strait of Hormuz had become a “theatre of war” rather than merely a waterway.