Trump reportedly rejects Iran’s seven

Iran is ⁠awaiting an official US response to its proposal to reopen the strait of Hormuz within a week and resume nuclear talks in return for the lifting of the US naval blockade of Iranian ports, as Donald Trump was reported to have rejected the deal.

Although Iran is yet to receive his official response, the US president is said to be privately sceptical Iran would meet his demands to dismantle its nuclear programme, according to unnamed US officials cited by the Wall Street Journal.

Trump has told aides he expects to resume bombing Iran after the November midterms in the US, the newspaper reported.

Meanwhile, on Friday evening, he published a post on his Truth Social platform with a graphic showing a map with the strait of Hormuz renamed as the “Trump Strait”.

During a three-hour meeting at the UN general assembly in New York earlier this week, Iran had proposed reopening the strait, which would have relieved pressure on global energy markets, and restarting talks on its nuclear programme within seven days.

In return, as well as lifting its naval blockade, Iran wants the US to permit the release of some of Iran’s frozen assets, restore the waiver that lifted sanctions on Iran’s oil exports and observe a “ceasefire on all fronts”.

That would involve the US president convincing Israel to end its attacks on Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, a tall order, and allowing the strait to reopen largely on Iran’s terms, with the new route predominantly going through Iranian waters.

Saudi Arabia is also said to be concerned that the route deal is bilateral between Iran and Oman, and not with the Gulf states as joint signatories.

Reports of the rejection came as Iranian state media reported on Saturday morning that the Iranian president, Masoud Pezeshkian, was on his way back to Tehran from New York.

After a meeting with UN secretary general, António Guterres, Pezeshkian said: “Iran has not walked away from the negotiating table, but given past experiences, it no longer trusts the United States.”

Earlier, a US official had ⁠said discussions with Iran through mediators were “positive and constructive” and, on Friday, the Iranian foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, had detailed the proposal to reporters outside the UN security council.

He said the seven-day timeline to open the strait and resume talks could start as soon as the US accepts Iran’s proposal. The initial steps would take about four to five days to complete, the strait would be opened on the sixth day and talks on the nuclear programme would start on the seventh day, he said.

This would include a protocol to allow UN nuclear inspectors back in to look at Iran’s damaged sites and the stockpile of highly enriched uranium.

“If there is seriousness on the US side to ⁠come to a deal and reopen the strait of Hormuz, everything is now prepared,” Araghchi said. “Iran has conveyed to the United States, through Qatar [mediators], a concrete seven-day plan. If the necessary conditions are met, the strait can be reopened, and normal maritime passage restored within seven days.

“The choice now rests with the United States. Iran does not accept coercion, threats or intimidation, and Iran will not surrender its sovereign rights under pressure.”

The US naval blockade is putting intense pressure on the Iranian economy, while the seven-month-old conflict in the region has disrupted oil flows through one of the world’s most critical shipping lanes and is increasing the cost of living around the globe.

Pezeshkian, in an interview with the CBS show Face the Nation, said Tehran was ready for talks on its nuclear programme and other issues, but would not accept “bullying or coercion”.

“Iran is not seeking war, but will defend itself against pressure, threats and attacks,” Pezeshkian said, adding that it had already agreed that “we’re not supposed to develop nuclear weapons”.

Previous attempts at diplomacy have failed ‌to end the war, which began on 28 February with US and Israeli attacks.

Since then the conflict has alternated between pauses and renewed strikes, killing thousands while degrading Iran’s conventional forces and damaging its already ailing economy.

Iran and its allies have retaliated by extending the conflict throughout the region. Iran has struck US allies in the Gulf with drones and missiles while its Houthi allies in Yemen have targeted Saudi interests. Iranian-aligned militias in Iraq were blamed for a pipeline attack that temporarily took more Saudi oil off the market.

The violence in Yemen has prompted a new humanitarian crisis, the UN children’s agency said on Friday, reporting a rise in acute malnutrition among children.

Trump has previously said he was in no rush to reach a deal, even as high oil prices fuel inflation. On the Iranian side, there are questions as to whether the hardliners who dominate the security forces would accept compromises championed by moderates such as Pezeshkian.

Diplomatic efforts surrounding the UN general assembly underscored the global stakes in the conflict.