US-Iran Ceasefire Negotiations in Flux 04/28 06:11

   Diplomatic efforts to end the Iran war stalled again over the weekend as 
both sides dug in on their demands, even as they face mounting pressure to 
reach a compromise.

   DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- Diplomatic efforts to end the Iran war 
stalled again over the weekend as both sides dug in on their demands, even as 
they face mounting pressure to reach a compromise.

   Iran said it won't reopen the Strait of Hormuz unless the United States 
lifts its blockade and ends the war. U.S. President Donald Trump wants a 
broader deal that would end Iran's nuclear program and address other issues 
like its missile program and support for regional proxies.

   For both sides, the clock is ticking.

   The continued closure of the strait has sent gas prices soaring and could 
cause further damage to the world economy ahead of U.S. midterm elections. The 
blockade is strangling Iran's economy.

   Each side is waiting for the other to blink. Here is what to know.

   Iran has a new offer

   Iran's latest proposal would put off negotiations on its nuclear program to 
a future date.

   Instead, the deal would only see Tehran end its chokehold on the Strait of 
Hormuz in exchange for Washington lifting its blockade on Iranian ports and a 
long-term or permanent truce, according to two regional officials with 
knowledge of the proposal who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the 
closed-door negotiations.

   That offer will likely be rejected by Trump. For one, it doesn't address the 
core issue he cited when he began bombing on Feb. 28: finding a way to ensure 
that Iran cannot build an atomic weapon. It also appears to be silent on other 
major questions, like Iran's missile program and its support of proxies in the 
region.

   U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio appeared to rule out any deal that 
excludes Iran's nuclear program, telling Fox News in an interview Monday, "We 
can't let them get away with it."

   "We have to ensure that any deal that is made, any agreement that is made, 
is one that definitively prevents them from sprinting towards a nuclear weapon 
at any point," Rubio said.

   This weekend, Trump held back sending envoys to Pakistan, which has been 
playing a crucial mediating role. By saying the Iranians could call Washington 
with any proposal, Trump appears to be signaling he's content to try to 
continue to squeeze Iran via a blockade.

   The Strait of Hormuz remains shut

   The U.S. blockade both squeezes Iran's oil sales -- a key source of hard 
currency for its theocracy -- and threatens to force Tehran to eventually shut 
down its production if it can't get its crude to market. Already, Iran has 
faced troubles at home over its economy, and it could worsen as time goes on.

   The global economy also is suffering: With few ships able to cross the 
strait, through which about 20% of all traded oil and natural gas passes, oil 
and gasoline prices are skyrocketing and jet fuel, cooking gas and other energy 
products are starting to become scarce in parts of the world.

   A ceasefire without a deadline

   The current truce began April 8 after multiple deadlines posed by Trump that 
threatened Iran's very "civilization" at one point. A separate ceasefire 
between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon also has 
taken effect.

   Trump has now extended the ceasefire with Iran indefinitely after whipsawing 
between various timelines for the conflict.

   But negotiations for ending the war have stalled.

   U.S. Vice President JD Vance took part in an earlier round of talks days 
after the truce began -- the highest-level ones between America and Iran since 
the 1979 Islamic Revolution. They ended without agreement.

   Pakistan is trying to get the two sides back to the table in Islamabad. But 
this weekend it took down all the checkpoints and security it had in place in 
anticipation of negotiations. That signals there's no immediate hope of talks 
resuming.

   American firepower in the region grows

   While negotiations appear at a stalemate, the U.S. military presence in the 
Middle East continues to grow. As of Monday, the U.S. Navy had three aircraft 
carrier groups in the region: the USS Abraham Lincoln, the USS Gerald R. Ford 
and the USS George H.W. Bush.

   Those carriers include some 15,000 sailors and Marines, as well as over 200 
aircraft and additional ships. An amphibious assault group led by the USS 
Tripoli is also in the Mideast, with its own sailors, Marines and aircraft.

   That comes on top of the warplanes, refuelers and other troop deployments to 
the region.

   Iran seeks help from abroad

   Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with Russian President Vladimir 
Putin on Monday, Russian state news agency Tass said. That followed Araghchi's 
visits to Pakistan and Oman in recent days. Pakistan has been a key mediator in 
this war, and Oman has long has been a key interlocutor between the U.S. and 
Iran.

   Russia broadly has stayed out of the latest conflict. Moscow has been 
floated as a possibility to take in Iran's highly enriched uranium -- removal 
of which Trump has insisted on. That uranium could be used to build a bomb, 
should Iran choose to pursue one -- though Tehran insists its program is only 
for civilian purposes.

   Russia has signaled it is willing to assist, though Tehran maintains it will 
not give up its stockpile.

   All of Iran's highly enriched uranium remains in the country, likely 
entombed at enrichment sites bombed by the U.S. during a 12-day war last June.