US President Donald Trump rejected an Iranian proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within seven days, according to The Wall Street Journal, which also reported that he was considering resuming military strikes against Iran after the US midterm elections in November.
Citing sources within the Trump administration, the newspaper reported that Trump remained skeptical about Tehran’s willingness to meet Washington’s demands.
Late on Friday, the US president also reposted a map on Truth Social in which the Strait of Hormuz had been renamed the “Trump Strait.”
Earlier, Iran had proposed reopening the strategically important waterway within seven days, stating that the decision now rested with Washington.
“The seven-day period will begin as soon as the United States accepts this plan,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said at the United Nations headquarters in New York.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian also told CBS News that the situation could return to normal if Washington accepted the proposal, insisting that the process would begin immediately following US approval.
The reopening of the Strait of Hormuz has become a central issue in the conflict between Iran and the United States, following the joint US-Israeli military offensive launched on February 28. Before the war, approximately one-fifth of global hydrocarbon supplies passed through the waterway.
Iran demands an end to hostilities and the release of frozen assets
According to Araghchi, the measures requested from Washington were already included in the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, signed by the two countries in June.
The agreement was intended to pave the way for ending the conflict, reopening the Strait of Hormuz and launching negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program. However, disagreements over its interpretation led to its collapse.
Iran’s conditions included an immediate cessation of hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon, the release of Iranian assets frozen abroad and the lifting of economic sanctions.
Iranian media have estimated the country’s frozen foreign assets at between $100 billion and $123 billion, although no official figures are available.
Speaking to AFP earlier this week, Revolutionary Guards spokesperson Hossein Mohebbi said that Tehran’s conditions now also included an end to hostilities in Yemen.
Meanwhile, Trump confirmed on Tuesday that American and Iranian officials had held discussions on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
The negotiations come amid growing economic pressure caused by the conflict and the disruption of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, which has contributed to rising global energy prices.
With the US midterm elections approaching, rising fuel prices and the cost of living have also become important domestic political issues for the Trump administration.
