Trump says US could restart Iran strikes 'if they misbehave'

US President Donald Trump said on Saturday he had been told about the concept of a deal with Iran, but was ​waiting for the exact wording, while warning there was still the possibility of restarting strikes on the country if Tehran misbehaves.

Meanwhile, a senior Iranian official said that an Iranian proposal so far rejected by Trump would open shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and end the US blockade of Iran while leaving talks on Iran's nuclear program for later.

When asked about Iran's proposal before boarding a flight to Miami at West Palm Beach, Florida, Trump replied: "They told me about the concept of the deal. They're going to give me the exact wording now".

He added on his social ​media channel that he could not imagine the proposals would be acceptable and that Iran had not paid a big enough price for what it had done.

Read: Trump likens US navy to 'pirates' over Hormuz blockade

Asked if ​he might restart strikes on Iran, Trump replied: "I don't want to say that. I mean, I can’t tell a reporter that. If ⁠they misbehave, if they do something bad, right now we’ll see. But it’s a possibility that could happen".

US Navy acting "like pirates"

Trump said the US Navy was acting "like pirates" in carrying out Washington's naval blockade of Iranian ports during the US and Israel's war against Iran.

Trump made the comments while describing the seizure by US forces of a ship a few days ago.

"We took over the ship, we took over the cargo, we took over the oil. It's a very profitable business," Trump said in remarks on Friday evening. "We're like pirates. We're sort of like pirates, but we are not playing games".

Meanwhile, a senior Iranian military official has said renewed conflict with the US is "possible" after Donald Trump rejected the latest peace proposal from Tehran.

"Evidence has shown that the United States is not committed to any promises or agreements," said Brig Gen Mohammad Jafar Asadi, spokesman for Iran's military headquarters, in remarks carried by Iranian news agencies.

"Surprise measures are planned for the enemy, beyond their imagination," Asadi said.

Official Iranian outlets also meanwhile restated an uncompromising position on navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.

"With its dominance and control over nearly 2,000 kilometers of Iran's coastline in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, the IRGC (Revolutionary Guards) Navy will make this water area a source of livelihood and power for the dear Iranian people and a source of security and prosperity for the region," the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported Saturday.

Iran says it's ready for diplomacy

Trump has said repeatedly that Iran can never ​have a nuclear weapon and said on Friday he was not satisfied with the latest Iranian proposal, while Iran's foreign minister said Tehran was ready for diplomacy if the US changes its ​approach.

Reuters and other news organisations reported over the past week that Tehran was proposing to reopen the strait before nuclear issues were resolved. The official confirmed that this new timeline had now been spelled out in a formal proposal conveyed to the United States through mediators.

Trump also said on Friday that "on a human basis," he did not prefer the military course of action and told congressional leaders he did not ​need their permission to extend the war beyond a deadline set by law for that day because the ceasefire had "terminated" hostilities.

While saying repeatedly he is in no hurry, Trump is under ​domestic pressure to break Iran's hold on the strait, which has choked off 20% of the world's oil and gas supplies and pushed up US gasoline prices. Trump's Republican Party faces the risk of ‌a voter ⁠backlash over higher prices when the country votes in midterm congressional elections in November.

Read more: Trump says US will take over Cuba 'almost immediately'

Iranian media said Tehran's 14-point proposal included the withdrawal of US forces from areas surrounding Iran, lifting the blockade, releasing Iran’s frozen assets, payment of compensation, lifting sanctions and ending the war on all fronts, including Lebanon, as well as a new control mechanism for the strait.

The United States and Israel suspended their bombing campaign against Iran four weeks ago, but appear no closer to a deal to end a war that has caused the biggest disruption ever to global energy supplies, roiled global markets and raised worries about the possibility ​of a wider global economic downturn.

Iran has ⁠been blocking nearly all shipping from the Gulf apart from its own for more than two months. Last month, the US imposed its own blockade of ships from Iranian ports.

Washington has repeatedly said it will not end the war, which has led to the deaths of ​thousands of people, without a deal that prevents Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, the primary aim Trump cited when he launched ​strikes in February in the ⁠midst of nuclear talks. Iran says its nuclear program is peaceful.

Speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss confidential diplomacy, the senior Iranian official said Tehran believed its latest proposal to shelve nuclear talks for a later stage was a significant shift aimed at facilitating an agreement.

Under the proposal, the war would end with a guarantee that Israel and the United States would not attack again. ⁠Iran would open ​the Strait, and the United States would lift its blockade.

Future talks would then be held on curbs to ​Iran's nuclear program in return for the lifting of sanctions, with Iran demanding Washington recognize its right to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes, even if it agrees to suspend its nuclear program.

"Under this framework, negotiations over the more complicated ​nuclear issue have been moved to the final stage to create a more conducive atmosphere," the official said.