Trump Rejects Iran’s Hormuz Proposal as Tehran Awaits Reply

President Donald Trump said Saturday, September 26, that he had rejected Iran’s proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, while Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran was still waiting for a definitive U.S. response to be conveyed through mediators. The competing accounts leave the proposal’s diplomatic status unresolved, with no agreement to reopen the waterway or resume negotiations reported. Trump called the proposal unacceptable as he spoke to reporters outside the White House. He said Iran wanted a deal because it was losing badly and wanted the strait reopened immediately. Araghchi said Iran had not received an official response from mediators and would decide its next move after receiving Washington’s definitive position. Araghchi has described a conditional plan under which Iran could restore normal passage through the strait within seven days if the United States met Tehran’s demands. Accounts of the proposal include lifting the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports and easing or waiving sanctions on Iranian oil. Some descriptions also include a ceasefire covering regional fighting.