US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he had turned down an Iranian proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end fighting across the Middle East.
Iran had raised the initiative at the UN General Assembly in New York, saying it was passed to the United States through Qatari mediators and that the waterway could be reopened within seven days, alongside a pause in hostilities.
Speaking before leaving for Tennessee, Trump said Iran wanted to reach an agreement immediately because it was under pressure and struggling to generate revenue tied to shipping through the strait. He added that he welcomed the idea of making a deal while arguing the United States was “winning tremendously”.
Iran’s UN Proposal
Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araqchi, told reporters at the United Nations that the proposed arrangement would set off a seven-day countdown for reopening Hormuz and stopping regional fighting.
Araqchi said that if the United States showed seriousness and agreed to reopen the strait, preparations were already in place for broader discussions on mutually agreed issues. He indicated talks could extend to Iran’s nuclear programme.
Trump has said Iran must never obtain a nuclear bomb. In response, a senior Iranian official told Reuters that Tehran would not show flexibility on its nuclear programme even if Washington accepted Iran’s broader peace proposal. The official said Iran would not concede on its rights, including uranium enrichment or shipping highly enriched uranium out of the country.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, in an interview on the CBS programme “Face the Nation”, said Tehran was prepared to discuss its nuclear programme and other issues but would not accept what he described as “bullying or coercion”. He said Iran was not seeking war but would defend itself against pressure, threats and attacks, adding that Iran had already agreed it was “not supposed to develop nuclear weapons”.
Pressure Over Shipping Through Hormuz
The rejection comes against a backdrop of mounting strain on global shipping. The United States has imposed an economic blockade on Iran aimed at pressuring Tehran to lift its blockade of Hormuz, which has sharply reduced shipping through the strait.
Trump again asserted that the United States controlled the waterway, despite Iran’s bid for a rapid reopening of the shipping route.
Earlier, a US official said discussions with Iran through mediators had been “positive and constructive”, according to the reporting.
The Wall Street Journal first reported that Trump had rejected Iran’s proposal, citing unnamed US officials. It said Trump was privately sceptical that Iran would meet US demands and that he had told his staff he expected a renewed bombing campaign after the November midterm elections to the US Congress.
Wider Conflict Roils The Region
Iran also engaged its Saudi rivals over the Strait of Hormuz, underlining the stakes of a conflict that began on February 28, when US and Israeli attacks were launched. The war has since alternated between pauses and renewed strikes, killing thousands and weakening Iran’s conventional forces, while worsening Iran’s already ailing economy and damaging global trade.
The conflict has also spread through the region. Iran and its allies have retaliated with attacks including drones and missiles aimed at US partners in the Gulf, while Iran’s Houthi allies in Yemen have targeted Saudi interests.
Join the discussion? 
27 September 2026
Recommended Comments
Create an account or sign in to comment