Trump rejects Iranian proposal to re-open Strait of Hormuz

Trump said Saturday that he rejected Iran’s ceasefire proposal last week, claiming that the plan was made out of desperation.

Trump told reporters at the White House that he rejected what he characterized as Iran’s desperate peace proposal last week at the United Nations General Assembly. He said that the United States had control over the Strait of Hormuz, with 29 oil ships coming out of the key waterway on Friday, according to the president. Trump argued that Iran only wanted to open the strait now because they were dying financially. He said he was open to a deal with Iran, but not the one they proposed.

What did Iran propose? During the UN General Assembly, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi shared a seven-day ceasefire proposal with the United States that he said was aimed at ending the fighting between the two countries, reopening the Strait of Hormuz, and resuming negotiations toward a final peace agreement. Araghchi told reporters that Iran would reopen the strait if certain conditions were met. He said the proposal, which was delivered to Washington through intermediaries, largely reflected commitments outlined in a 14-point memorandum of understanding, or MOU, reached between the United States and Iran in June. That deal unraveled after both sides accused each other of violating the MOU in July.

With a seven-day timeline, the new deal would move at a much faster pace than the MOU. Araghchi said Iran was ready to start the plan as soon as the Trump administration agreed to it.

How did Iran respond to Trump’s rejection? In an interview with NBC Sunday, Araghchi said Iran would not open the Strait of Hormuz until the conditions in the plan are met. He went on to say that Iran was ready for war and also ready for diplomacy.