Trump considers non-nuclear deal to withdraw from Iran war: WSJ

Trump privately hinted that if Iran fully reopens the Strait of Hormuz, it can abandon the nuclear deal and end the conflict.

According to U.S. officials familiar with the matter, President Donald Trump has privately told senior aides that if Iran completely reopens the Strait of Hormuz, he can end the U.S. -Iran conflict without reaching a nuclear deal. The news was disclosed by relevant reports on August 9.

Core Points

Reports that Trump told aides he could end the Iran war without a nuclear deal. Iran said the prerequisite for reopening the Strait of Hormuz is that the United States provides compensation, lifts sanctions, returns frozen assets, and makes broader security concessions. The shipping agreement between Iran and Oman is in its final stages, but Tehran has stressed that the agreement alone cannot reopen the strait. Brent crude closed at $83.55 a barrel on Friday, up 1.3%, as traders awaited clear progress in the Strait of Hormuz negotiations. Washington said it would lift blockades of Iranian ports once free passage for commercial shipping was restored.

The news comes as Iran is asking for higher prices to reopen shipping lanes, tying compensation, sanctions lifting and broader security demands to any lasting arrangement. The White House has not publicly confirmed that Trump has changed his nuclear goals. Its latest statement on Iran (July 28) still reiterated that Iran must not possess nuclear weapons and warned that if diplomacy fails, military options will still be available. Therefore, the report's "willingness to end the conflict without reaching a nuclear agreement" is still a private policy consideration and is not an open change in U.S. strategy.

Iran's latest demands complicate the exit path from the Strait of Hormuz

Iran is reportedly seeking billions of dollars in damages from the United States, the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the area and an end to the U.S. naval blockade. Other sources said that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragzi asked the United States to provide compensation for the attack, while Mohammad Bakr Zorgaader, secretary of Iran's top security agency, called for the lifting of sanctions, the return of Iran's frozen assets, and an end to U.S. military pressure on Iran and its regional allies.

Tehran has also separated negotiations with Oman from a broader solution with Washington. Aragzi said that the agreement between Iran and Oman on delineating a new waterway has entered the "final stage", but he stressed that the waterway will not automatically reopen due to the completion of this technical arrangement. He also pointed out that Iran and the United States currently do not have direct dialogue, but maintain information transmission through intermediaries.

A U.S. official revealed that Washington will lift the blockade of Iranian ports once commercial shipping is restored. This creates sequencing issues: Washington wants shipping to resume before lifting the blockade, while Iran insists the United States must make broader concessions first. In addition, reports said plans could give Iran a role in controlling ships entering the Persian Gulf, making the proposed arrangement still politically sensitive. U.S. officials have repeatedly opposed Iran's control of the Strait of Hormuz and the imposition of mandatory tolls, an issue that remains unresolved even if a technical waterway agreement is reached.

Trump's public nuclear stance has not officially changed

The most important reason for treating the latest reports with caution is the gap between Trump's private remarks and his public stance. In a White House statement on July 28, Trump insisted that Iran must not possess nuclear weapons and warned that if diplomacy failed, the US military could strike more targets. The government has not issued a public statement to overturn this position.

However, reports said that Trump privately told aides that Iran may not be able to rebuild its nuclear program during his tenure, given that previous US strikes have severely damaged Iran's main nuclear facilities. He believes U.S. intelligence agencies can detect any restart efforts and that the threat of more military action can prevent the restart. These judgments were not a negotiated nuclear agreement.

A White House official said the administration believes its military goals have been achieved and is now focusing on resuming energy transportation through the Strait of Hormuz, while retaining the option of military action should Iran attack shipping. This means that even if the nuclear dispute remains unresolved, reopening the Strait of Hormuz will become a near-term test for easing the situation.

Domestic politics has also increased pressure. Reports said that as long as gasoline prices remain controllable, Trump is prepared to wait for the latest negotiation difficulties to pass. The national average oil price in the U.S. was $4.02 a gallon on Saturday, compared with $3.16 a year ago, less than three months before the midterm elections.

Strait of Hormuz keeps oil and crypto markets sensitive

The market is still concerned about whether shipping can return to normal. Reported that most Gulf stock markets closed lower on Sunday as investors awaited clear news of the Oman-Iran agreement. Brent crude closed at $83.55 a barrel on Friday, up $1.06, or 1.3%.

Bitcoin traded close to US$65,184 on Sunday. There is no evidence that the report alone triggered this trend, especially when the U.S. market is closed. However, the conflict has repeatedly influenced risk sentiment in the crypto market through oil prices, inflation expectations and broader geopolitical risks. It was previously reported that Bitcoin fell below US$64,000 due to renewed fighting in Iran, rising oil prices and increased concerns about energy outages, and then recovered to above US$64,000 due to improved expectations for the Strait of Hormuz Agreement. These incidents help explain why crypto traders continue to pay attention to the progress of negotiations, even if triggers come from outside the digital asset market.

According to sources, before the current interruption, the Strait of Hormuz handled about one-fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas shipments. As a result, a protracted reopening could affect energy prices, transportation costs and inflation expectations, but the market response will depend on specific terms and whether shipping truly returns to normal.

Next step in Iran negotiations

The next verifiable step is the signing of a shipping agreement between Iran and Oman. Aragzi said an agreement was close to being reached, but the final text had not yet been released, and Tehran stressed that the agreement alone would not be enough to reopen the strait. Washington said the blockade could be lifted once commercial shipping restored free passage.

Wider requirements remain difficult to resolve. Iran seeks compensation, lifting sanctions, obtaining asset freezes and security concessions. There have been previous reports that lifting access to Iran's assets freeze has emerged as a potential bargaining chip, but no relevant agreement has yet been announced. At the same time, the United States has not publicly agreed to Tehran's latest terms, and the White House has not confirmed reports that Trump is willing to end the war without a nuclear deal. Iran continues to say there is currently no direct dialogue between the United States and Iran.

At this stage, reopening the Strait of Hormuz seems to be the most specific escape path available to Washington. Whether this becomes the basis for ending the conflict will depend on the terms announced, actual shipping traffic and whether the two sides can arrange the sequence of concessions without triggering a new round of military upgrades.