As tensions in West Asia remain high, US President Donald Trump is looking for an exit route from the military confrontation with Iran, according to a media report. The United States, which entered the war with the objective of pushing Iran to sign a nuclear deal, is likely to drop that goal if Tehran fully reopens the Strait of Hormuz, The Wall Street Journal reported.

As tensions in West Asia remain high, US President Donald Trump is looking for an exit route from the military confrontation with Iran, according to a media report. The United States, which entered the war with the objective of pushing Iran to sign a nuclear deal, is likely to drop that goal if Tehran fully reopens the Strait of Hormuz, The Wall Street Journal reported.

As tensions in West Asia remain high, US President Donald Trump is looking for an exit route from the military confrontation with Iran, according to a media report. The United States, which entered the war with the objective of pushing Iran to sign a nuclear deal, is likely to drop that goal if Tehran fully reopens the Strait of Hormuz, The Wall Street Journal reported.

As tensions in West Asia remain high, US President Donald Trump is looking for an exit route from the military confrontation with Iran, according to a media report.

The United States, which entered the war with the objective of pushing Iran to sign a nuclear deal, is likely to drop that goal if Tehran fully reopens the Strait of Hormuz, The Wall Street Journal reported.

According to the report, Trump has spent weeks laying the groundwork for such an outcome and has privately informed senior aides that he could withdraw without securing a formal nuclear agreement with Tehran.

It noted that finding a face-saving resolution has become increasingly difficult for Trump after Iran placed a set of sweeping demands for reopening the strait, through which traffic has remained disrupted since the war began.

Tehran says reopening the strait would depend, in part, on the US paying compensation for the damage caused by its widespread attacks on Iran. It has also demanded an end to further US threats against Iran; a halt to aggression against Iran and its Lebanese, Palestinian, Yemeni and Iraqi allies; the removal of a US naval blockade in the Gulf; the lifting of sanctions on Iran; and the release of frozen Iranian assets.

Iran's ability to disrupt traffic through the narrow maritime corridor using missile and drone capabilities has given Tehran significant leverage, slowing global commercial shipping and driving volatility across international energy markets.

The Strait of Hormuz is a critical chokepoint for global energy, with nearly one-fifth of global oil supply passing through this narrow sea passage between Iran and Oman.

Meanwhile, Trump said on Sunday that the United States was adopting a “low-key” approach towards Iran and was not currently looking to launch a fresh military offensive.

“We are only semi-negotiating with them. We are just watching Iran with its huge inflation and the fact they have no money,” he told Axios.

The imperative for Trump to secure a resolution is also being driven by domestic political considerations ahead of the upcoming US midterm elections. A closed strait and the threat of higher energy prices give Iran a way to inflict economic pain that could hurt Trump and the Republican Party at the ballot box.

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