
The US and Iran are discussing a possible deal that would include a ceasefire in exchange for Iran reopening the Strait of Hormuz, three US officials told Axios.
The big picture: Officials did not say whether these discussions had taken place directly or only through intermediaries, and they cautioned that it was not clear whether an agreement could be reached.
But officials said President Trump was discussing the possibility with officials inside and outside the administration.
Trump claimed on Wednesday that Iran had asked the US for a ceasefire, but stressed that he would only consider it if the strait was reopened.
China and Pakistan presented a peace initiative along these lines on Tuesday.
Iran's foreign ministry quickly denied Trump's claim, and Tehran has consistently denied having held any direct negotiations with Washington.
Trump may have been referring to a statement that Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian made on Tuesday during a phone call with European Council President António Costa.
Pezeshkian said Iran was ready to end the war, but only if the US stopped its attacks and Iran received guarantees to prevent the war from resuming.
"The President of the New Regime of Iran, far less radicalized and far more intelligent than his predecessors, has just asked the United States of America for a Ceasefire! We will consider it when the Strait of Hormuz is open, free and clear," Trump wrote on Social Truth.
He stressed that in the meantime the US will continue to "destroy Iran into oblivion or, as they say, return it to the Stone Age!!!"
A spokesman for Iran's foreign ministry called Trump's tweet "false and baseless."
Pezeshkian was president before the war, and most analysts believe that tougher figures are currently making decisions.
Trump has repeatedly suggested that the war will end soon, although he kept a possible ground operation on the table.
Israel and Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia, are urging Trump to move on. Meanwhile, some in the White House are looking for vacancies.