Iran has proposed a seven-day framework to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and restore normal maritime traffic, but US President Donald Trump has reportedly rejected the proposal, according to US officials cited by The Wall Street Journal.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran had conveyed the plan to Washington through Qatar, following renewed diplomatic efforts during the UN gathering of world leaders in New York.
“Iran has conveyed to the United States, through Qatar, a concrete seven-day plan. If the necessary conditions are met, the strait can be reopened, and normal maritime passage restored within seven days,” Araghchi said at the UN.
He said the decision now rested with the United States, while insisting that Tehran would not accept what he described as coercion, threats or intimidation.
The Strait of Hormuz has remained central to the conflict between the United States and Iran, with the confrontation at a stalemate after nearly seven months. The waterway is a major route for global oil shipments.
Araghchi had met US envoy Steve Witkoff for talks on Tuesday as international mediation efforts sought to revive negotiations.
However, hours after Araghchi outlined the proposal, The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump had rejected it, citing US officials familiar with the matter. The report said Trump was skeptical that Tehran would meet his demands and believed renewed US bombing could follow.
Trump also posted an image on Truth Social showing the Strait of Hormuz circled and labelled “Trump Strait”.
What Iran Is Offering
Earlier reports indicated that Tehran’s proposal would require a seven-day cessation of hostilities across the Middle East, including in Lebanon.
The reported terms also include the release of at least $12 billion in frozen Iranian assets, the lifting of sanctions on Iranian oil and an end to the US naval blockade of Iran.
Iran would then reopen the Strait of Hormuz on the seventh day of the truce.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told CBS that the ceasefire process would begin once the United States accepted the proposal.
“We had previously reached an agreement based on the MOU that was signed in Pakistan…if the United States agrees to proceed in that way, everything will return to the way it was before,” he said.
Hossein Mohebi, a spokesman for Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, also told AFP that ending hostilities in Yemen was among Tehran’s demands.
Previous Agreement Collapsed
The United States and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding in June aimed at ending the conflict, reopening the Strait of Hormuz and beginning negotiations on Iran’s nuclear programme.
The arrangement subsequently broke down after Iran fired on commercial ships in the strait, accusing them of deviating from an approved route.
Iran requires vessels to obtain authorisation before passing through the waterway, citing security and sovereignty concerns.
Ships that refuse to comply have been targeted, while the United States has periodically carried out strikes against Iranian coastal areas in retaliation.
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