US President Donald Trump has rejected an Iranian proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within seven days, while reports said he had indicated that US strikes on Iran could resume after the November midterm elections.
According to the 24NewsHD TV channel, the reported position came as Tehran continued to seek a diplomatic way out of the conflict.
Iran had submitted its seven-day roadmap through mediators, including Qatar. Under the proposal, the Strait of Hormuz would be reopened to normal commercial shipping within seven days if the necessary conditions were met. Iran also offered to resume talks with the United States on a wider agreement, including its nuclear programme.
Trump told reporters that he had rejected the Iranian proposal. He said Iran wanted an agreement to reopen the Strait because it was suffering severe economic pressure and added that the United States was already in control of the waterway.
The reported US position came after The Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed US officials, reported that Trump expected American bombing of Iran to resume after the November midterm elections. The report said his position could change in the coming weeks.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran had seen the initial US reaction to its proposal but had not yet received a formal response through the mediators.
Araghchi said Iran was waiting to learn Washington’s final position through the mediators and would decide its next steps on the basis of that response. He also said that dialogue was the way to resolve the current deadlock.
Iran’s proposal called for several measures by Washington, including the lifting of the naval blockade of Iranian ports, the easing of sanctions on Iranian oil sales and a ceasefire covering the wider region. In return, Tehran said the Strait of Hormuz could be reopened and negotiations with Washington could resume.
The Strait of Hormuz is a major global shipping route and has become a central issue in the conflict between Iran and the United States. Before the war, about one-fifth of the world's traded oil and gas passed through the waterway.