CAIRO/UNITED NATIONS | Iran was awaiting an official response from the United States on Saturday after the Wall Street Journal reported that President Donald Trump had rejected Tehran’s proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and halt fighting across the region within seven days.
According to Reuters, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Friday that Tehran had conveyed its proposal through Qatari mediators during the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Under the proposal, Iran would reopen the strategic waterway within seven days and agree to a halt in hostilities across the region, including Lebanon. In return, Iran is seeking the lifting of the U.S. blockade of its ports, the release of frozen Iranian funds and the removal of oil sanctions.
Araqchi said Iran would not accept concessions concerning what it regards as its rights, including uranium enrichment and the handling of its highly enriched uranium. He said Tehran had nevertheless prepared the proposal if Washington was serious about reaching an agreement.
The Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed U.S. officials, reported that Trump had rejected the Iranian proposal and privately remained skeptical that Tehran would meet his demands. The report also said Trump had told aides that he expected a renewed bombing campaign after the November U.S. midterm elections. Reuters said it could not independently confirm the Journal’s report.
The development followed earlier indications that diplomatic channels remained open. Reuters reported on Sept. 22 that Trump had said talks with Iran were continuing and that he believed a settlement could eventually be reached, while maintaining that Iran must not obtain nuclear weapons. A U.S. official had also previously described discussions conducted through mediators as “positive and constructive.”
The Strait of Hormuz is central to the dispute because it is one of the world’s most important energy chokepoints. The U.S. Energy Information Administration said oil flows through the strait averaged about 20 million barrels per day in 2024, equivalent to roughly one-fifth of global petroleum liquids consumption. About one-fifth of global liquefied natural gas trade also passed through the waterway that year.
The current crisis also has roots in the long-running dispute over Iran’s nuclear program. In 2015, Iran and six world powers reached the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, under which Tehran accepted limits on uranium enrichment and its nuclear stockpile in exchange for sanctions relief, with the International Atomic Energy Agency tasked with monitoring key commitments.
Reuters reported that the wider war began on Feb. 28 with U.S. and Israeli attacks and has since alternated between periods of fighting and pauses. The conflict has affected regional security, energy supplies and shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, while diplomatic efforts have repeatedly sought to prevent further escalation.
For now, Tehran is waiting for Washington’s official position on the latest proposal, leaving the future of the ceasefire initiative and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz uncertain.
Edgardo Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
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