U.S. appears cool on Iran proposal to end war and reopen Hormuz without a nuclear deal

Iran warU.S. appears cool on Iran proposal to end war and reopen Hormuz without a nuclear dealNational gas price averages hit a new high amid the war of $4.18 on Tuesday, while the international benchmark price for oil reached a three-week high above $111 a barrel.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Add NBC News to GoogleIran offers U.S. a new proposal to open Strait of Hormuz01:13Get more newsLiveonShareAdd NBC News to GoogleApril 28, 2026, 5:45 AM EDT / Updated April 28, 2026, 7:09 AM EDTBy Chantal Da Silva, Abigail Williams, Natasha Lebedeva and Steve KopackThe United States showed little immediate enthusiasm for a new Iranian proposal that would end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz without resolving the impasse over the Islamic Republic's nuclear program. Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.Iran's latest offer looked “better” than past pitches, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said late Monday, after it was discussed by President Donald Trump and his national security team. But there was little sign that Washington might be willing to abandon its naval blockade and accept the offer.Energy prices soared again on the negative signals. National gas price averages hit a new high amid the war of $4.18 early Tuesday, up from $4.11 a day earlier. The international benchmark price for oil, Brent crude, reached a three-week high above $111 a barrel.The Iranian proposal would focus on reopening Hormuz — the vital trade route whose closure has rattled the global economy — and ending the war the U.S. and Israel began two months ago, but table thorny nuclear talks until a later date, a Gulf source and a regional source told NBC News.The details of the plan were first reported by Axios.“Suffice it to say that the nuclear question is the reason why we’re in this in the first place,” Rubio said in an interview with Fox News."They’re very good negotiators," he said of Iran, but he said any agreement would have to be one that "definitively prevents them from sprinting toward a nuclear weapon at any point."Iran maintains that it has no desire to develop a nuclear weapon, but American demands that Tehran halt its enrichment program have been a key roadblock in peace talks.The Iranian proposal was discussed Monday in a meeting between Trump and his national security team, according to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, although it was not immediately clear how seriously it was being weighed. ​“The president’s red lines with respect to Iran have been made very, very clear, not just to the American public, but also to them as well,” Leavitt told reporters. “I wouldn’t say they’re considering it,” she said, adding that Trump would address the subject publicly soon.Members of the Gulf Cooperation Council will hold a meeting Tuesday where the Iranian proposal will also be discussed, according to two Gulf officials. Kuwait’s state news agency confirmed the group was expected to convene for an exceptional summit in Jeddah on Tuesday.The Strait of Hormuz previously carried one-fifth of the world's oil, and other essential products such as fertilizers needed for the global food supply.ReutersWhile constraining Iran’s nuclear program is critical to the Trump administration, restarting the flow of oil remains a top priority for Gulf allies. The U.S. has been signaling that its blockade is inflicting economic pain on Tehran, too, however."The pressure on Iran is…

This excerpt is published under fair use for community discussion. Read the full article at NBC News Top Stories.