US President Donald Trump has rejected an Iranian proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and halt fighting across the region for seven days, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing unnamed US officials.
The development came hours after Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araqchi said Tehran had conveyed its peace proposal to Washington through Qatari mediators. A US official separately told Reuters that Washington and Tehran were engaged in “positive and constructive discussions through the mediators”. However, Trump remained privately sceptical that Iran would meet his demands, according to the WSJ report. Trump has told his staff that he sees a renewed bombing campaign as likely, the report said. Under Tehran’s proposal, the two sides would move towards broader negotiations “on mutually agreed subjects”, with talks on Iran’s nuclear programme beginning immediately. “Iran does not accept coercion, threats or intimidation, and Iran will not surrender its sovereign rights under pressure.”
Under the plan, a deal would trigger a seven-day countdown for reopening the Strait of Hormuz and a pause in fighting across the region. “If the necessary conditions are met, the strait can be reopened, and normal maritime passage restored within seven days. Araqchi also made clear that Tehran would not accept pressure as part of any deal.
Trump has also told aides that he expects the United States to resume bombing Iranian territory after the November congressional elections, according to the report published on Friday. The choice now rests with the United States,” said Araghchi at the UN on Friday.
