Iran Awaits US Response After Trump Rejects Proposal to Reopen Strait of Hormuz

NEW YORK: Iran is awaiting an official response from the United States to its proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end fighting in the wider Middle East conflict after US President Donald Trump said he had rejected the initiative, Reuters reported.

Iran presented the diplomatic proposal at the United Nations General Assembly in New York and said it had been conveyed to Washington through Qatari mediators. Under the proposal, the strategically important waterway could be reopened and hostilities across the region could be brought to an end within seven days.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the plan would establish a seven-day period leading to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and a pause in fighting. He said that, if Washington demonstrated readiness to reach an agreement, broader negotiations could subsequently begin on mutually agreed issues.

Trump, speaking to reporters at the White House on Saturday, said he had rejected Iran’s proposal. The Wall Street Journal had earlier reported that Trump was privately skeptical that Tehran would meet US demands and had told his staff that he expected renewed military action could follow the November US midterm elections. Reuters said it could not immediately independently confirm that report.

The Strait of Hormuz has become a central issue in efforts to end the conflict because of its importance to global energy supplies. The ongoing fighting has disrupted oil flows through the waterway and contributed to wider economic pressures.

Iranian officials have indicated that Tehran would seek the lifting of the US blockade on its ports, the release of frozen Iranian funds and the removal of oil sanctions as part of any agreement. A senior Iranian official also told Reuters that Tehran would not make concessions concerning its nuclear programme, including its right to enrich uranium.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has meanwhile said Tehran remains open to resolving its dispute with Washington but stressed that trust between the two sides would need to be restored.

The latest developments leave the proposed diplomatic initiative dependent on further US-Iranian engagement as regional tensions continue to affect security and energy markets.