Iran’s proposal was transmitted through mediators as diplomats gathered for the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Reuters previously reported that Tehran had expressed a willingness to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within a week if Washington reduced military pressure and lifted its blockade of Iranian ports.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi publicly suggested Tehran was prepared to move quickly if Washington reciprocated.
“If there is seriousness on the US side to come to a deal and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, everything is now prepared,” Araqchi said.
Under Iran’s proposal, reopening the critical shipping lane could serve as the first step toward broader negotiations between Washington and Tehran.
If the United States agreed, Araqchi said the two governments could begin wider negotiations “on mutually agreed subjects.”
But Trump appears unwilling to give Tehran the relief it wants without substantially more in return.
The president confirmed Saturday that he had rejected the proposal, telling reporters that Iran wanted an agreement because of the mounting pressure it faces. The Wall Street Journal’s reporting indicated that Trump remains skeptical about whether Tehran would ultimately fulfill Washington’s demands.
That skepticism could prove decisive.
Rather than immediately removing the blockade or agreeing to Iran’s proposed pause, the administration appears prepared to maintain economic and military leverage while negotiations continue through regional intermediaries.
That strategy puts the Strait of Hormuz at the center of the standoff.
The narrow waterway is one of the world’s most important energy corridors, and disruptions there have reverberated throughout international oil and shipping markets. Recent efforts to move more traffic through the strait have helped increase shipping volumes, reducing some of the immediate pressure for Washington to accept Tehran’s terms. The Wall Street Journal reported this week that oil and cargo volumes moving through the strait had reached a six-month high.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration has been tightening pressure on Iran elsewhere.
Iranian airlines have faced additional international restrictions, while the American naval campaign has constrained Tehran’s ability to move goods and energy by sea. Those measures are adding to the economic pressure confronting the Iranian government.
Despite the hard line, diplomacy has not completely collapsed.
Regional mediators continue working between Washington and Tehran, and Iran has signaled that it remains interested in negotiations. Reuters reported earlier this week that the Iranian delegation attending the U.N. gathering had authority to pursue diplomatic discussions.
The unanswered question is whether Tehran is prepared to offer enough to satisfy Trump’s demands.
Trump has repeatedly focused on Iran’s nuclear program, making clear that preventing Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon remains a central American objective.
He also publicly rejected the idea that the upcoming U.S. midterm elections would dictate his Iran policy.
“The Republican Party is running, and I’ll be helping them, but I am not running. I gave absolutely no credence and will not give credence through the election when it comes to Iran,” Trump told world leaders this week. “The only thing that does is that Iran will never have a nuclear weapon.”
The Wall Street Journal reported, however, that officials believe Trump’s thinking remains fluid. While he has reportedly discussed the possibility of renewed military action, officials also described him as reluctant to return to major combat operations, and the scale of any future strikes remains uncertain.
For now, that leaves Iran facing a difficult choice.
Tehran can attempt to improve its offer and continue negotiations through mediators, or it can hold its position while American economic and military pressure remains in place.
What Trump has made clear is that a seven-day pause, on the terms currently offered by Iran, is not enough to secure Washington’s agreement.
The administration is keeping its options open — diplomatic, economic and military — while demanding considerably more before giving Tehran the relief it is seeking.
