Donald Trump rejects Iranian seven-day proposal to reopen Strait of Hormuz

White House rejection of the seven-day plan

US President Donald Trump confirmed on Saturday that he rejected an Iranian diplomatic roadmap designed to halt regional warfare and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Speaking to journalists at the White House before departing for Knoxville, Tennessee, Trump stated that Washington would not accept the terms delivered through Qatari intermediaries. The decision followed preliminary discussions in New York on 22 September 2026, when US special envoys Steven Witkoff and Jared Kushner met with an Iranian delegation that included Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. While regional network Al Arabiya reported that Witkoff saw encouraging indicators during the talks, Trump asserted that Tehran was negotiating from weakness due to economic pressure on its maritime revenues.

“They want to make a deal to open the Strait of Hormuz immediately, because they are being beaten very badly. We are winning terribly.”

Terms and conditions of the Iranian roadmap

The proposed agreement aimed to accelerate commitments established under the 17 June Islamabad memorandum of understanding. In briefings reported by the New York Times, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi outlined requirements for the United States to unfreeze $12 billion in assets, lift sanctions on Iranian oil sales, and terminate the naval blockade of Iranian ports. The proposal also mandated an immediate cessation of fighting across all regional fronts within six days, specifically encompassing Israeli operations in southern Lebanon and military engagements involving Hezbollah, the Houthis in Yemen, and Shiite militias in Iraq. Araghchi stated that if Washington fulfilled its conditions within four to five days, Tehran would lift its maritime blockade on the seventh day to restore international shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, where one-fifth of global oil and gas normally flows, before starting talks on a comprehensive settlement.

Decision-making and political backing in Tehran

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian affirmed in a broadcast interview that the diplomatic initiative had been coordinated directly with Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who holds final authority over state decisions. Pezeshkian revealed the establishment of a dedicated six-member negotiating committee that brings together representatives from the Iranian armed forces, parliament, and the executive cabinet. In comments to Al Jazeera and CBS, Pezeshkian stated that Iran stood ready to carry out its commitments if the United States complied, but emphasized that Tehran had lost confidence in negotiations following repeated military strikes against Iranian territory.

Military warnings and risk of renewed strikes

Following the rejection, the Khatam al-Anbiya central headquarters of the Iranian armed forces announced that all US bases and military deployments across the Middle East would become targets if Washington initiated hostilities. The command declared that while Iran would not begin a conflict, it was prepared to defend its territorial integrity at what it termed a critical security junction. Trump privately told advisers that he considers a renewed campaign of air strikes against Iran likely once the US midterm elections conclude in November. Trump also reiterated his hardline stance on Truth Social, stating that Iran must never obtain nuclear weapons.