Reported 45-day ceasefire 'one of many ideas,' White House official says
Asked about reports of a draft proposal that includes a 45-day ceasefire and reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a White House official told ABC News on Monday, "This is one of many ideas, and POTUS has not signed off on it. Operation Epic Fury continues. President Trump will speak more at 1 p.m."
A U.S. official and another source familiar with the negotiations told ABC News later on Monday that the draft of the deal on the table calls for a 45-day ceasefire, during which a permanent end to the war could be negotiated.
While the White House has already said that President Donald Trump has not committed to anything, the administration’s key demands call for Iran to give up what the regime views as its main points of leverage: control over the Strait of Hormuz and its stockpile of highly enriched uranium. So far, Iran has shown little to no flexibility on those terms, both sources said.
The sources added that mediators are attempting to see if confidence-building measures might bring both sides closer to an agreement, but they are working on a very tight timeframe as Trump’s Tuesday deadline approaches.
Mediators have floated the idea that perhaps access to the Strait of Hormuz and the elimination of Iran’s uranium stockpile could be fully resolved after ceasefire is reached. The U.S. official said it appeared highly unlikely the Trump administration could be convinced to accept those terms -- particularly concerning the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran has signaled that it will not accept the mediators’ proposal as it stands, and submitted its own 10-point plan in response to the draft ceasefire agreement. U.S. officials describe Iran’s counteroffer as maximalist and not constructive to negotiations. -ABC News' Shannon Kingston and Justin Gomez
