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region anytime soon, we do not want to see a frozen conflict that ends up being thawed every time there is a political reason,” Qatari foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said at a press conference.

While a ceasefire has halted the fighting, diplomacy aimed at permanently ending the war has proven inconclusive.

“We are very keen to see an end to this war that is sustainable,” Ansari added.

Trump met with top security advisors on Monday to discuss the Iranian proposal after Tehran passed “written messages” to Washington via Pakistan spelling out its red lines, including on nuclear issues and Hormuz, Iran’s Fars news agency reported.

The proposal was “being discussed,” spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told a White House briefing.

The plan would reportedly see Tehran ease its chokehold on the strait and Washington lift its retaliatory blockade on Iranian ports while broader negotiations continue, including over the thorny question of Iran’s nuclear programme.

But CNN, citing two sources familiar with the matter, said Trump had signaled at Monday’s meeting that he was reluctant to take Hormuz off the table without resolving the nuclear question, though it was unclear what his next steps would be.

Trump yesterday claimed that Iran has said it was in a state of collapse and wants the US to open the Strait of Hormuz while it sorts out its leadership.

“Iran has just informed us that they are in a ‘State of Collapse.’ They want us to ‘Open the Hormuz Strait,’ as soon as possible, as they try to figure out their leadership situation (Which I believe they will be able to do!)” Trump said in a social media post.

Iranian defence ministry spokesman Reza Talaei-Nik yesterday said that Washington “must abandon its illegal and irrational demands.”

“The United States is no longer in a position to dictate its policy to independent nations,” he said, according to state TV.

Asked about Iran’s proposal, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Fox News “it’s better than what we thought they were going to submit,” but questioned whether it was genuine.

“They’re very good negotiators,” he said, “and 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.”

Tehran would need guarantees that Washington and Israel would not attack again if it was to offer security assurances for the Gulf, Iran’s envoy to the UN said.

TRUMP MAY DECLARE VICTORY!

Iran’s blockade of Hormuz has cut off flows of oil, gas and fertiliser and sent prices soaring. As the deal prospects dimmed, Oil prices rallied, with Brent crude for June delivery rising 2.8 percent to $111.26 a barrel. The benchmark US contract, WTI for June delivery, rose 3.4 percent to $99.62 per barrel.