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Tehran [Iran], April 22 (ANI): Iran has suggested that the United States may be preparing to ease tensions over its naval blockade, according to Press TV, quoting Iran's ambassador to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani.
According to Press TV, Iravani said, "Tehran has received signs indicating that the United States is ready to end the naval blockade."
Iravani has also formally urged the global body to press the United States to immediately and unconditionally release the Iranian commercial vessel Touska, along with its crew and their families, as reported by Iranian state broadcaster Press TV.
In a letter sent on Tuesday to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the president of the Security Council, Ambassador Iravani raised "urgent concern" over what he described as ongoing international law violations by the United States, including the deliberate targeting of Iranian commercial ships.
Iravani detailed the incident involving the Touska, stating that US forces had captured the vessel in the Sea of Oman near Iran's coast a day earlier, calling the move a "hostile and unlawful act."
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has claimed that Iran is privately pushing to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to stem massive economic losses, despite Tehran's public rhetoric suggesting a continued standoff.
The President's assertions come amid a prolonged paralysis of shipping through the world's most critical maritime corridor. While the diplomatic stalemate between Washington and Tehran persists, the disruption has sent ripples through global energy markets and heightened regional instability.
Taking to Truth Social, Trump further that Iran's outward hostility regarding the waterway is a performance intended for a political audience rather than a reflection of its financial reality.
"Iran doesn't want the Strait of Hormuz closed; they want it open so they can make $500 million a day (which is, therefore, what they are losing if it is closed!)," Trump posted, suggesting the blockade is crippling the Iranian economy.
He further dismissed Tehran's threats to keep the passage shut, describing them as a defensive reaction to US military pressure. "They only say they want it closed because I have it totally BLOCKADED (CLOSED!), so they merely want to 'save face,'" the President added.
The US leader also revealed that backchannel communications have already begun. According to Trump, intermediaries reached out recently to signal a shift in Tehran's position.
"People approached me four days ago, saying, 'Sir, Iran wants to open up the Strait immediately,'" he claimed. However, he warned that a premature reopening without significant geopolitical concessions would eliminate US leverage in future negotiations.
"But if we do that, there can never be a deal with Iran unless we blow up the rest of their country, their leaders included!" Trump stated, underscoring his hardline approach to the ongoing crisis.
For now, the Strait of Hormuz stays at the heart of the friction. As the primary artery for global oil and liquefied natural gas, its continued closure poses a persistent threat to "international energy markets and maritime security." (ANI)