President Trump Rejects Iranian Proposal to Reopen the Strait of Hormuz
In a recent development, President Donald Trump has firmly turned down an Iranian initiative aimed at reopening the strategic Strait of Hormuz. The proposal, put forth during the United Nations General Assembly meetings in New York, suggested resuming negotiations between the United States and Iran.
Speaking to the press before leaving the White House, Trump dismissed the Iranian plan, stating, “I like making a deal too, but I’m not — that deal would not be acceptable.” He further added, “They want to make a deal where they open the strait immediately because they’re losing so badly.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi revealed that Iran proposed a “concrete seven-day plan” to the U.S. through Qatar. This plan was designed to restore normal maritime passage through the strait, contingent on specific conditions being met by the United States.
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has been a significant issue since Iran shut it down following an attack by the U.S. and Israel on February 28. The repeated closures have severely impacted global oil supply chains.
The Iranian proposal shares similarities with a previous “memorandum of understanding” agreed upon between the two nations in June. This MoU had included a temporary cessation of hostilities and the initiation of ceasefire discussions. It also involved the U.S. lifting a naval blockade and easing sanctions in exchange for Iran’s commitment not to pursue nuclear weapon development and to reopen the strait.
However, that agreement fell apart due to ambiguous language over control of the strait, leading to resumed hostilities. Araghchi commented, “The actions that the United States should take are not new. They are all already in the MoU. They are already under the commitments of the United States. So we don’t see any difficulty to implement them.”
In a prerecorded interview with CBS, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian expressed Iran’s willingness to meet its obligations, provided the U.S. demonstrates no intention to overthrow the Iranian government. Pezeshkian stated, “If the United States agrees to proceed in that way, everything will return to the way it was before.” He indicated that U.N. nuclear inspectors would be allowed into Iran if the U.S. accepts the Iranian terms.
NPR’s Hadeel Al-Shalchi and Emily Feng contributed reporting.
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