Good morning! Today is Monday, April 27th 2026, and this is The American Conservative's Morning Brief. Iran offers to reopen the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for the U.S. lifting its naval blockade, proposing to table the nuclear enrichment question for later talks as the ceasefire enters its twentieth day. Ali Rizk argues in TAC that Hezbollah has become a national security imperative for Tehran, and that Washington's alignment with Netanyahu on Lebanon may be foreclosing the very deal that could end the war. Curt Mills made the rounds this past week discussing Trump's base, the Iran War, and the neoconservatives, while Chas Newkey-Burden looks at Keir Starmer's quiet retreat on foie gras and fur. and now for the details. We begin this morning in the Persian Gulf, where the ceasefire to the Iran War has now entered its twentieth day, and where a new diplomatic opening may be taking shape. According to the Associated Press, citing two regional officials, Tehran has offered to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to international shipping if the United States lifts its naval blockade of Iranian ports. In exchange, Iran is proposing to set aside the contentious nuclear enrichment question for later discussions and end the war on those narrower terms. As Harrison Berger reports for The American Conservative, Iran has signaled it would agree to dilute its enriched uranium under international supervision as part of a comprehensive settlement, but considers a ceasefire in Lebanon a non-negotiable component of any broader deal. President Trump told Fox News on Sunday that Iran "can call" him if it wants to negotiate. But a senior Iranian official told Drop Site News that Tehran sees little point in continuing talks until the maritime blockade is lifted, adding that Iran does not trust U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, views Jared Kushner with greater skepticism still, and would prefer a negotiating partner like Vice President J.D. Vance at the table. Meanwhile, Iran's parliament is advancing legislation that would authorize its armed forces to target what officials call "hostile vessels" attempting passage through Hormuz, with ships required to pay transit fees in Iranian rial. The Israeli Air Force on Monday struck what it described as Hezbollah infrastructure in the Beqaa Valley and southern Lebanon. Lebanon's Health Ministry reports fourteen killed in Israeli airstrikes on Sunday, and says Israeli operations since early March have killed more than 2,500 people. The economic toll continues to register at home: Brent crude rose above $108 a barrel Monday, and AAA puts the national average price of gasoline at $4.11. For a deeper read on why these negotiations keep stalling, Ali Rizk argues in TAC that the Lebanon file may in fact be the master key to ending the Iran War. Rizk writes that during the Islamabad talks, the Trump administration appeared to accept Iran's demand for a Lebanese-Israeli ceasefire as part of a broader settlement, only to reverse course at the urging of Prime Minister Netanyahu. The Israeli bombing campaign that followed, which Rizk calls "Black Wednesday," killed more than 350 civilians and prompted Tehran to reassert control over the Strait of Hormuz. Rizk's central argument is that Hezbollah has been transformed, in Iranian strategic thinking, from an instrument of regional influence into a national security imperative. With Israel having struck the Iranian homeland directly, and with Bashar al-Assad ousted in Syria and replaced by a government led by a former Al Qaeda-linked figure, Tehran now views Hezbollah as a bulwark against two threats: Israeli military pressure on one flank, and a resurgent ISIS on the other. Rizk notes that ISIS was responsible for the deadliest terrorist attack in Iranian history, the 2024 Kerman bombings that killed at least 95 people. The strategic implication, as Rizk lays it out, is that Iran may be willing to make real concessions on its nuclear program if Washington were prepared to deprioritize the dismantling of Hezbollah. President Trump has publicly said his first concern is preventing an Iranian bomb, with the proxy question further down his list. But Secretary of State Marco Rubio has framed the new Lebanese-Israeli direct talks, the first since 1993, as part of an effort to bring "a permanent end to twenty or thirty years of Hezbollah's influence." Trump himself, asked Thursday whether Iran would have to cut off Hezbollah, replied, "Yeah, they'll have to cut that. That's a must." Rizk concludes that Washington's continued alignment with Netanyahu on the Lebanon question may foreclose the very deal that could end the war. Turning to TAC's own coverage footprint this past week: Executive Director Curt Mills appeared on Harry Cole Saves the West to discuss whether President Trump is losing his political base, joined the podcast of the Middle East Council on Global Affairs to discuss the Iran War, and was quoted by Responsible Statecraft on Trump and the neocons
