President Donald Trump reportedly rejected a seven-day proposal from Iran aimed at reopening the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, halting a potential de-escalation effort just hours after Tehran presented the plan. The waterway, which is critical to global oil supplies, remains a focal point of the ongoing conflict between the United States and Iran, which has been at a stalemate for nearly seven months.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced the proposal on Friday during the United Nations General Assembly in New York. He stated that through Qatari mediation, Iran had conveyed a concrete plan to the United States: if specific conditions were met, normal maritime passage could be restored within a week. “The choice now rests with the United States. Iran does not accept coercion, threats, or intimidation, and Iran will not surrender its sovereign rights under pressure,” Araghchi said.
However, The Wall Street Journal reported shortly after Araghchi’s comments that Trump dismissed the offer. Citing US officials familiar with the matter, the report noted the 80-year-old president is skeptical that Tehran will fulfill his demands and views a renewed bombing campaign as likely. Following the report, Trump shared an image on his Truth Social platform depicting a map of the region with the strait circled and labeled “Trump Strait.”
According to earlier media reports, Iran’s plan included a seven-day ceasefire across the Middle East, extending to Lebanon, and involved several key concessions from Washington. These included the release of frozen Iranian assets valued at over $12 billion, the lifting of sanctions on Iranian oil, and the end of the US naval blockade. On the final day of the truce, Iran would then reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told CBS that the ceasefire process would begin immediately upon acceptance. He referenced a memorandum of understanding previously signed in Pakistan, suggesting that if the US agreed to proceed according to that framework, relations would return to their prior state.
Hossein Mohebi, a spokesman for Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, confirmed in an interview with AFP that ending hostilities in Yemen was also among Tehran’s demands.
The US and Iran signed a memorandum in June intended to end the war and restart talks on Iran’s nuclear program. However, the agreement collapsed when Iran began targeting commercial ships it accused of deviating from approved routes. Iran mandates that vessels obtain authorization before transiting the strait, citing security and sovereignty concerns. Ships that refuse compliance are regularly targeted, while the US has responded with sporadic airstrikes on Iranian coastal positions.
Does anyone else find it ironic that the UN General Assembly is the venue for this? Usually, that’s where diplomacy happens, not threats.
The economic angle is huge here. Releasing those frozen assets and lifting sanctions would do wonders for global oil prices right now.
I’m skeptical this is the end of it. If Trump thinks renewed strikes are likely, what exactly was the point of even receiving the proposal?
Wait, did he seriously rename the Strait of Hormuz the ‘Trump Strait’? That sounds like a middle-schooler’s joke, not presidential statesmanship.
Seems like a clear lack of good faith. How can there be trust after months of targeting commercial shipping in such a vital waterway?