By Anjali Sharma
WASHINGTON – According to a media report on Saturday US President Donald Trump rejected Tehran’s 7 day proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and restart negotiations a fresh attempt to halt the months-long US-Iran conflict has suffered a setback.
Iran’s proposal links to reopening the crucial Strait of Hormuz with renewed nuclear negotiations, while Qatar has been carrying messages between US and Iranian officials.
Media reported that Trump has also told aides he expects the US bombing of Iran to resume after the midterm elections in November.
The development came days after Trump publicly said he believed Washington and Tehran could reach an agreement after the elections.
Iran has been pressing Washington to accept a proposal that links reopening the critical shipping route with a broader ceasefire and renewed nuclear negotiations.
Tehran has offered to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within seven days if Washington accepts a series of conditions.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the proposal had been sent to the US through intermediaries.
Tehran wants Washington to lift its naval blockade, ease restrictions on Iranian oil sales and agree to a ceasefire across the region.
Under the proposal, nuclear negotiations would also resume within the seven-day period.
“The moment they accept this plan, from the next day, this timetable can start, and after seven days, the strait will be open,” Araghchi said while discussing the proposal in New York.
The plan draws on an earlier memorandum between the two countries that briefly eased the conflict before breaking down.
Trump has rejected the latest Iranian offer, WSJ reported.
Trump has told aides that he expects bombing against Iran to resume after the November midterms, according to the report.
The reported decision follows several days of mixed signals from Washington over the possibility of diplomacy.
Trump told the UN General Assembly earlier this week that he believed an agreement with Iran could come after the midterm elections.
“I believe we’ll make a deal right after the election because it doesn’t make sense for them not to. They’re waiting to see how I do in the midterm election,” Trump said.
Trump also called on other countries to help enforce the “complete economic isolation of Iran”.
The diplomatic contacts had continued on the sidelines of the UNGA despite Trump’s public pressure on Tehran.
US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held indirect discussions with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, with Qatari officials carrying messages between the two sides, media reported.
Iran presented its conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz and restarting nuclear negotiations during those exchanges, media reports stated.
US negotiators rejected Tehran’s premise that it could impose conditions over the strait, media report said.
Qatar has emerged as a key intermediary in the latest diplomatic push.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian also met Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in New York as efforts continued to find a path back to negotiations.
The Strait of Hormuz has become a central issue in efforts to end the conflict.
The waterway carried about a fifth of global oil and gas shipments.
Gulf States have been pressing for normal shipping to resume.
Iran has said it could reopen the route to Gulf shipping if Washington eases military pressure and restrictions on Iranian ports.
The latest rejection leaves the immediate diplomatic path uncertain as Tehran awaits Washington’s next move and Trump weighs the next phase of the conflict.
