With regime change increasingly out of reach, the US president may pivot towards a business deal with Tehran’s fractured leadership
4-MIN READ4-MIN ListenKhushboo Razdan,Dewey Sim,Teresa Elena FrontadoandLucy QuagginPublished: 5:02am, 9 Apr 2026Updated: 5:08am, 9 Apr 2026Control of the Strait of Hormuz has emerged as the central fault line in US-Iran negotiations, with US President Donald Trump appearing to recast an earlier off-the-cuff idea into a more formal proposal that seeks to bridge Tehran’s push for dominance and Washington’s insistence on open passage.Following his Tuesday announcement of a two-week ceasefire, Trump on Wednesday told the American Broadcasting Company that his administration may seek a “joint venture” with Iran to safeguard the global chokepoint, on which Tehran has maintained a tight grip since the conflict began on February 28.
“We’re thinking of doing it as a joint venture. It’s a way of securing it – also securing it from lots of other people,” he said, hailing the idea as a “beautiful thing”.
Trump claims Iran’s ‘present’ was to allow 10 oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz
Trump claims Iran’s ‘present’ was to allow 10 oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz“The joint venture is something that was proposed by the president, but he was very clear in his statement last night, he wants to see the strait reopened immediately, without limitation,” Leavitt added.
