US President Donald Trump has rejected an Iranian proposal that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz within seven days and restart negotiations aimed at ending the war between Washington and Tehran.
Trump told reporters on Saturday that he had rejected the proposal, saying Iran was seeking an agreement because it was facing severe economic pressure. “I’m rejecting their deal,” Trump said, adding that the US had “total control” of the strategic waterway.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had outlined the proposal during the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Friday. He said the Strait of Hormuz could return to normal commercial traffic within seven days if the necessary conditions were met. The proposal was transmitted to Washington through mediators, including Qatar, according to reports.
Under the plan, Iran would reopen the waterway while the US would take steps including lifting its naval blockade of Iranian ports, easing sanctions on Iranian oil sales and observing a ceasefire covering the region, including Lebanon. Iran would then resume negotiations with Washington over its nuclear programme.
Araghchi said the proposed timetable would begin once Washington accepted the plan. He said initial measures would take four to five days, with the strait reopening around the sixth day and nuclear talks beginning on the seventh.
The proposal is based partly on a memorandum of understanding reached between Iran and the US in June. That agreement established a temporary framework for ending military operations and restoring maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, but it later collapsed after fighting resumed.
