President Donald Trump has rejected Iran’s proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, but has left the door open for future negotiations, he told reporters Saturday.
“I reject their proposal,” Trump said.
“They want to make a deal where they open the Strait immediately because they’re losing so badly,” he said. “Massive amounts of oil are coming out of the Hormuz Strait last night; we had 29 ships come out. They want to make a deal, and I think that’s fine. I like making a deal, too.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi signaled this week a willingness to resume talks in seven days about its nuclear program if the United States lifted its naval blockade on the strait, which was imposed after a ceasefire between the countries collapsed in July.
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The crucial waterway to the global energy market has effectively been closed since the start of the war. The United States and Iran have issued conflicting messages throughout the summer and into the fall as to which government controls the strait, a strategic transportation route for crude oil.
Trump indicated he wasn’t interested in the deal Friday, posting an image on his Truth Social platform of the Strait of Hormuz labeled “Trump Strait.” The White House on Friday said only that U.S. officials were having positive and constructive conversations with mediators on the war. Earlier in the week, Iran held hours of indirect talks with the U.S.
Iranian media outlets said President Masoud Pezeshkian left New York after the United Nations gathering of world leaders, which included Iran’s indirect talks with the United States. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia says it has intercepted another missile it blames on Iranian-backed Houthis in neighboring Yemen.
Pezeshkian’s speech at the U.N. pushed back against Trump’s latest threat to “annihilate” the Islamic Republic, but he ended by saying Tehran remains open to diplomacy.
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