US President Donald Trump is reportedly considering ending the war with Iran without first securing a comprehensive nuclear agreement, as his administration looks for a way to de-escalate the conflict and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. However, a sweeping set of demands from Tehran has complicated Washington’s search for an exit. According to the report, Trump has indicated to senior advisers that he could accept an agreement focused on reopening the crucial waterway even if the larger dispute over Iran’s nuclear programme remains unresolved. Such an approach would represent a significant shift in Washington’s immediate priorities.
The Trump administration has increasingly focused on restoring commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, whose disruption has had far-reaching consequences for energy markets and international trade. The possibility of separating the Hormuz issue from a broader nuclear settlement could provide Trump with a pathway towards ending the military confrontation without resolving every outstanding dispute between Washington and Tehran. But expectations of an imminent breakthrough have been tempered by Iran’s latest conditions for reopening the strategic waterway.
Tehran has demanded major concessions from Washington before agreeing to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s Supreme National Security Council has called for an end to US military action and threats against Iran, withdrawal of American forces from the region, lifting of sanctions and the naval blockade on Iranian ports, compensation for war damage and the unconditional release of frozen Iranian assets. The breadth of the demands has raised doubts about whether Washington and Tehran can quickly reach an agreement despite recent diplomatic efforts.
The Strait of Hormuz has become one of the most consequential bargaining points in the conflict. The narrow waterway is vital to global energy supplies, making its reopening an urgent priority not only for Washington but also for major oil-importing economies. Iran has maintained that reopening the strait cannot be treated separately from what it regards as wider US military and economic pressure. Washington, meanwhile, wants unrestricted commercial navigation and has resisted arrangements that would give Tehran greater control over international shipping through the waterway.
Oman has been playing a key mediating role as Washington and Tehran explore possible arrangements to restore maritime traffic. Iran and Oman have discussed an agreement involving designated shipping routes through the strait, but Tehran’s broader conditions on the United States remain a major obstacle to a final settlement. The negotiations have therefore evolved beyond the mechanics of reopening a shipping lane into a wider contest over sanctions, military deployments, Iranian assets and the future security architecture of the region.
Trump’s reported willingness to conclude the conflict without immediately obtaining a nuclear agreement suggests Washington may be prepared to sequence negotiations rather than demand a comprehensive settlement at once. Under such an approach, an agreement over Hormuz and an end to hostilities could come first, leaving Iran’s nuclear programme and other contentious issues for subsequent negotiations. For now, however, Tehran’s demands have complicated that strategy. What appeared to Washington to be a possible route out of the conflict has become another high-stakes negotiation, with control of one of the world’s most important waterways at its centre.