NEW YORK — Mediators are continuing efforts to bring the United States and Iran closer to an agreement after Washington rejected the terms of Tehran’s latest proposal. Separate discussions with the two sides have focused on ending the fighting and reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran’s proposal connects a ceasefire and renewed nuclear discussions with demands that include sanctions relief and an end to a U.S. blockade. U.S. President Donald Trump has rejected the terms presented, although diplomatic efforts have continued. Previous attempts to pause the conflict have failed.

The strait is central to the talks because restrictions on shipping through it have consequences far beyond the region. A diplomatic agreement would have to address both the immediate fighting and whether vessels could move through the waterway safely and reliably.

For now, the two sides’ willingness to communicate through mediators should be understood as a negotiating opening, not a ceasefire. The reported positions still leave substantial differences over the sequence of steps: what each side would do first, what conditions would follow, and how any commitments would be maintained.

The next meaningful development will be a change in those positions or a jointly accepted set of terms. Until then, the talks offer a possible route out of the conflict, while the outcome remains uncertain.

Sources: Reuters; PBS NewsHour.

Lead image: an AI-generated editorial illustration, not a photograph of the reported event.