Trump declared victory for the US, called the UK Prime Minister to discuss restoring shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, and Iran proposed a three-stage negotiation direction.

The blockade has entered its third week. On 4/26, only 2 ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz, less than 2% of normal levels. Trump told Fox News that "the war will end soon and the US will win," and called UK Prime Minister Starmer on the same day to emphasize the "urgent need to restore shipping in the Strait." Iran retorted that "the Strait will not return to its previous state under any circumstances," but has privately proposed a three-stage plan via intermediaries: "ceasefire → Strait → nuclear issue." (Context: Iran turns hostile: War could restart at any time, Strait of Hormuz blocked again, Bitcoin falls back to $75,500) (Background: Iran: Reclaim control of the Strait of Hormuz! No agreement for US participation in the next round of talks) On 4/26, the US confirmed based on vessel tracking data: only 1 cargo ship sailed out of the Persian Gulf and 1 tanker entered from the Gulf of Oman that day, with only 2 ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz throughout the day. Under normal circumstances, this waterway sees over 100 ships daily; the daily traffic has fallen to less than 2% of normal levels. The US also admitted that there is a margin of error in the data, as some ships may have turned off their Automatic Identification System (AIS) due to signal interference, meaning the actual situation may differ from tracking results. In an interview with Fox News on 4/26, Trump stated that he believes the war with Iran will end soon and "the US will achieve victory." He called out to Iran: "If you want to negotiate, you can call the US, I hope Iran is smart." Iran retaliated on the same day, explicitly warning that the waterway "will not return to its previous state under any circumstances"—a hardline stance that casts a shadow over all negotiation proposals on the table. While publicly posturing, private negotiation channels remain open. CCTV, citing Iranian sources, revealed that Iran has conveyed a three-stage negotiation proposal to the US through intermediaries, attempting to break the deadlock by splitting the issues: The first stage focuses on ending the war completely and obtaining security guarantees to prevent the US and Israel from launching new wars against Iran and Lebanon. Only after an agreement is reached in the first stage will both sides enter the second stage, specifically to discuss the management mechanism of the Strait of Hormuz. As for the nuclear issue, Iran has drawn a clear red line: it will not participate in nuclear negotiations until the agreements of the first two stages are implemented. Axios also cited a US official and two informed sources, revealing that the core of Iran's proposal is also "handle the blockade first, postpone nuclear talks," aiming to bypass internal divisions within the Iranian leadership regarding the extent of nuclear concessions. The two sets of information echo each other, showing that Iran is testing the US bottom line with a decoupling strategy. Diplomatic pressure is also being applied simultaneously. On 4/26 local time, Trump spoke with UK Prime Minister Starmer to discuss the current situation in the Middle East and emphasized the "urgent need to restore shipping in the Strait of Hormuz." The UK stated that the weeks-long blockade has left a large number of crew members stranded around the Persian Gulf. Starmer warned that this would have "serious consequences" for the global economy and the cost of living for the British people—the first time the Western camp has publicly admitted that the blockade is backfiring on their own inflation. Al Jazeera, citing a diplomatic source, revealed that recent events have acted as a catalyst, strengthening the consensus between the US and Iran that there is a "need to permanently end hostilities." Sources in Islamabad (the capital of Pakistan) further pointed out that all parties are gradually approaching a framework that will not only cover the US and Iran but will essentially also include Persian Gulf countries. Several Gulf countries have clearly stated that it is necessary to include them in any final solution, as they do not want a repeat of being excluded during the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA, the "Iran Nuclear Deal")—which was signed by the US, UK, France, Germany, China, Russia, and Iran, while Gulf neighbors like Saudi Arabia and the UAE were not at the table. Pakistan remains hopeful about a second round of talks; although details are not yet clear, diplomatic mediation is underway. Axios cited three US officials revealing that Trump is expected to convene a Situation Room meeting on Iran on Monday (4/28) to discuss with senior national security and foreign policy officials. One official noted that the meeting is expected to assess the current status of the negotiation deadlock and potential specific military measures if the situation continues to deteriorate. Currently, the US is coordinating through Pakistan, but more than two weeks have passed since the blockade began, and there