US President Donald Trump says he rejects Iran’s latest proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, calling it “unacceptable.”
“I reject their proposal,” Trump told reporters on Saturday, according to CNN.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had told reporters at the UN General Assembly on Friday that Iran conveyed a concrete seven-day plan to the US through Qatari mediators.
Under the plan, Washington would need to lift its naval blockade on Iranian ports, release frozen Iranian funds and waive oil sanctions within four to five days. On day six, the Strait would be reopened and hostilities would end on all fronts, and on day seven, talks would begin for a final deal on Iran’s nuclear programme.
“They want to make a deal where they open the strait immediately because they’re losing so badly,” Trump said. “I like making a deal too, but that deal would not be acceptable.”
According to the Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed US officials, Trump told aides he expects to resume bombing after the November congressional elections, though officials said his views could shift.
A US official told Reuters that the US and Iran were having “positive and constructive discussions through the mediators,” but Trump was privately skeptical that Iran would meet his demands.
The seven-month-old conflict has disrupted oil flows through one of the world’s most critical shipping lanes.
This is a developing story.