Chinese tankers pass through Hormuz Strait amid rising diplomacy hopes
Photo: A tanker in the Strait of Hormuz (Getty Images)
Two Chinese supertankers carrying 4 million barrels of Iraqi oil passed through the Strait of Hormuz for the first time in a long while. This came amid optimistic statements from Trump and Vance regarding the imminence of a deal with Iran, according to Reuters.
What Trump and Vance says
Trump states that the war would end very quickly and acknowledged that on Monday, he was an hour away from deciding to attack, but held back after a new Iranian proposal.
"Iran's leaders are begging for a deal," the President says, adding that a new strike would take place in a few days if no agreement is reached.
Vice President Vance says at a White House briefing that the US is in a pretty good position. He acknowledges the complexity of the negotiations due to divisions within the Iranian leadership.
Tankers and markets
Two Chinese supertankers, the Yuan Gui Yang and the Ocean Lily, carrying 4 million barrels of Iraqi oil, have passed through the strait via the Iranian route.
Brent crude oil fell to $110.16 per barrel following positive signals.
What Iran wants
The Iranian side is demanding a cessation of hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon; the withdrawal of US forces from areas near Iran; the payment of reparations; the lifting of sanctions; the unfreezing of frozen assets; and the lifting of the naval blockade. These conditions differ little from the previous proposal, which Trump called "garbage."
Negotiations between the US and Iran have reached an impasse due to several key disagreements. Tehran proposed transferring more than 400 kg of enriched uranium to Russia for storage, but Vance rejected this idea: the US insists that Iran completely dispose of its uranium rather than transfer it to a third party.
For its part, Iran has officially put forward six conditions for peace, including a demand for financial compensation from Washington for damages caused by the strikes.
At the same time, the US is considering a temporary easing of oil sanctions against Iran and is prepared to allow limited peaceful nuclear activities as a concession during the negotiations.
