President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Iran’s president has asked the United States for a ceasefire.
But President Trump said on Truth Social that the US would only “consider” the proposal once the Strait of Hormuz was “open, free and transparent.”
“Until then, we will either blow Iran into oblivion or, as the saying goes, return to the Stone Age!!!” he wrote.
The White House said the announcement came hours before President Trump was to deliver “an important update on Iran” in an address to the nation.
The address will be set at 9:00 PM ET.
It is not immediately clear whether Iran will confirm or reject President Trump’s claim that Iran’s “new president” has called for a ceasefire. Since the war began on February 28, both countries have frequently contradicted each other’s claims about the existence and status of peace talks.
It was also unclear whether the ceasefire request was made directly to the United States, as Trump’s post suggested, or through an intermediary such as Pakistan.
And even if President Massoud Pezeshikian calls for a ceasefire, he may not have the final say. This means that Iran’s supreme leader, not the president, has ultimate authority in the Islamic Republic.
The current Ayatollah, Mojtaba Khamenei, has refrained from public appearances since taking office after his father, the former Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in an airstrike at the start of the war.
The White House did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for additional information.
The month-long war quickly caused widespread economic disruption and significant fluctuations in global energy prices. The turmoil has much to do with Iran’s ability to maintain an effective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which accounts for much of the world’s oil shipments.
President Trump has acknowledged that the strait remains a key stalemate in the war, even as he and other administration officials insist that Iranian forces have been “destroyed” and that the United States is rapidly achieving its goals.
