Trump Dismisses Iran’s Proposal for Strait of Hormuz

President Donald Trump has turned down Iran’s suggestion for a seven-day plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and has indicated to his aides that he anticipates U.S. military strikes against Iran to resume following the November midterm elections.

According to a report from the Wall Street Journal, Trump rejected Tehran’s offer and conveyed to aides that he sees another bombing campaign as probable, based on insights from U.S. officials familiar with his views.

The U.S. has also communicated to Tehran and regional mediators that Trump does not plan to lift the maritime blockade affecting Iranian ports. The U.S. believes that increasing economic pressure will ultimately compel Iran to negotiate terms more aligned with U.S. interests and those of Gulf Arab nations.

On Friday evening, Trump shared an image on Truth Social, highlighting the Strait of Hormuz, which he labeled as “TRUMP STRAIT.”

It appears Trump maintains doubts about Iran’s willingness to meet his expectations regarding its nuclear program, as indicated by officials.

However, the extent of any potential military actions remains uncertain. Trump hasn’t made a definitive choice to re-initiate major combat operations. Reports suggest that he’s cautious about commencing a large-scale campaign partly because he wants to conserve munitions for other possible scenarios. Still, it’s important to note that his stance could evolve in the next few weeks and may be influenced by the upcoming midterm election results.

Despite Trump’s refusal of the present proposal, diplomatic efforts continue. A U.S. official informed the outlet that negotiations between Washington and Tehran persist through mediators, focusing on issues including Iran’s nuclear program. Meanwhile, an initiative led by the U.S. to facilitate oil tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz, amidst Iranian threats, has lessened the urgency of securing an agreement.

Earlier that same day, a U.S. official familiar with the indirect talks described them as “positive” and “constructive.”

Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, on Friday outlined what he called a “concrete seven-day plan” that Tehran had communicated to Washington through Qatar.

This plan entails that the U.S. would remove its naval blockade of Iran, ease sanctions on Iranian oil sales, release frozen Iranian assets, and maintain a ceasefire across all fronts, including Lebanon. In exchange, Iran would reopen the Strait of Hormuz and engage in negotiations with Washington regarding its nuclear program.

The seven-day pause suggestion originated during a meeting in Qatar on Sunday, with regional mediators subsequently working during the United Nations General Assembly in New York to revitalize discussions.

Araghchi clarified that the seven-day countdown would commence only if Washington agrees to the plan. “If they accept this plan tomorrow, the seven days will start from tomorrow,” he asserted, mentioning that the necessary steps could be completed in about four to five days. This would allow Iran to reopen the strait on the sixth day and initiate talks with Washington on a final agreement on the seventh.

He indicated that the conditions needed from the U.S. could be implemented swiftly, emphasizing, “If there is seriousness on the US side to come to a deal and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, everything is now prepared.”

The proposal is intended to revive and accelerate the framework established by the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, signed between Washington and Tehran in June. That arrangement later fell apart after Iran resumed attacks on commercial shipping in the strait, leading to increased U.S. military action. Tehran has accused Washington of breaching the agreement and is now seeking a return to those terms.

Iranian diplomats have introduced multiple proposals to conclude the conflict and have acknowledged the deepening economic crisis in Iran to Arab mediators. However, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has resisted new agreement formulas, displaying readiness for an extended conflict. They seem to support terms similar to those from the preliminary June agreement, which included sanctions relief and access to frozen Iranian assets in exchange for reopening the waterway.

On the other hand, Washington seems to believe that there’s little reason to voluntarily relinquish its economic and maritime leverage at this stage.

State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott stated on Friday that the U.S. is “severing” the financial lifelines of the Iranian government through its ongoing economic campaign, insisting that Trump “holds all the cards.”

Pigott also noted that oil is moving through Hormuz at an increasing rate each day, stressing that any agreement with Tehran would need to be based on actions.

A U.S. official mentioned that around 40 million barrels of oil had traversed the Strait of Hormuz in the previous 48 hours.

Meanwhile, U.S. Central Command reported that American forces redirected 122 commercial vessels to ensure compliance with Washington’s blockade, up from 115 two days prior.

The ongoing U.S.-led initiative to ensure the flow of tankers through Hormuz has lessened the urgency to reach an agreement with Tehran.

The diplomatic gap extends beyond the blockade issue. A senior Iranian official disclosed to Reuters on Friday that Tehran would display “no flexibility” regarding its nuclear program even if Washington accepted the Hormuz proposal, reaffirming Iran’s commitment to its right to domestically enrich uranium and rejecting the demand to export its stockpile of highly enriched uranium.

Interestingly, Iran has indicated its willingness to dilute its most highly enriched uranium. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told Fox News’s Bret Baier on Thursday that Tehran is open to diluting the material and permitting verification of its nuclear activities. “We said we’re willing to dilute them. It’s not a big deal. We are willing to submit ourselves to verification,” he stated.

This distinction leaves a core disagreement unresolved. Iran is offering measures to address uranium concentration and verification but is not willing to give up its right to enrich uranium domestically or export its highly enriched stockpile.

As diplomatic talks continue, Iran remains intent on applying military pressure. IRGC spokesman Hossein Mohebbi stated that military actions against the U.S. would persist until Tehran’s conditions are met, claiming that “Our missiles are capable of destroying US multilayered air defense systems.”

Mohebbi also alleged that Washington depicts the Strait of Hormuz as open to mitigate oil price surges but struggles to keep the waterway consistently accessible, despite having the largest navy globally.

In his address to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, Trump cautioned Iran to swiftly pursue an agreement while reiterating that the U.S. would not allow Tehran to acquire a nuclear weapon. He insisted on Iran’s complete economic isolation but hinted at the possibility of an agreement if Tehran alters its approach.

Trump declared that the midterm elections would not influence his Iran policy. “The Republican Party is running, and I’ll be helping them, but I am not running,” he conveyed to world leaders, emphasizing that he does not consider the upcoming elections a factor in U.S.-Iran relations. “The only thing that does is that Iran will never have a nuclear weapon,” he added.

As Araghchi put it on Friday, the responsibility for the next move lies with Washington. “The choice now rests with the United States,” he concluded.

By late Friday, Trump had dismissed Tehran’s latest proposal and was expecting U.S. military actions to resume post-midterms. Officials, however, stressed that the extent of these potential actions remains undetermined, and the president’s stance could still shift.