Tehran has made clear it will not soften its demands for reopening the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, despite President Donald Trump’s rejection of an Iranian plan to unblock the waterway, the country’s top diplomat said Sunday.
“Our conditions are clear, and any move toward reopening the Strait of Hormuz depends on those conditions being met. We will not back down,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in remarks carried by state television.
“We have never closed the door to diplomacy or negotiations, but at the same time, we have never abandoned our rights,” he added.
Seven-Day Proposal Tied to US Acceptance
Iran announced Friday that it had submitted a proposal to the United States to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within seven days of its acceptance. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the offer had been drafted “in coordination” with Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, the ultimate arbiter of decision-making in the Islamic Republic, and that a six-member team with “decision-making power” had been established to handle the matter.
Trump dismissed the proposal outright on Saturday. “I reject their proposal,” the US president told reporters as he left the White House, claiming Iranian leaders wanted the deal because “they are losing badly.”
‘Strait of Trump’
Shortly before announcing his refusal, Trump posted a map of the Strait of Hormuz on his Truth Social network labeled “Strait of Trump.”
The Strait of Hormuz — through which one-fifth of the world’s hydrocarbons passed before the war — sits at the center of the conflict that the United States and Israel triggered in late February with strikes on Iran. Since then, the Islamic Republic has claimed control of the waterway, while Washington has imposed a blockade on Iranian ports in response.
Possible Renewed Strikes After Midterms
According to The Wall Street Journal, Trump is considering resuming bombardments of Iran after the US midterm elections on November 3. The United States has not struck Iran since September 1, when a series of attacks killed five people and wounded dozens at a wedding in the country’s southeast, though ships have since been hit in the Strait of Hormuz.
As the elections approach, the US president faces growing unpopularity over the Middle East war, which has sent fuel prices soaring.
