Trump says he rejected latest Iran proposal to reopen Hormuz
- President Donald Trump rejected a deal from Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, stating that Iran wants to make a deal due to losing badly.
- Trump highlighted that the U.S. naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz is increasing economic pressure on Iran.
- US and Iranian negotiators had been discussing a potential deal involving reopening the strait and lifting the blockade, similar to a previous fragile ceasefire agreement.
- Trump is reportedly skeptical about Iran's willingness to meet demands and may resume bombing Iran after the US midterm elections, though he did not confirm this directly.
President Donald Trump said Saturday he rejected a deal from Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
“They made a proposal but I rejected it,” Trump said as he departed the White House on Saturday. “They want to make a deal where they open the strait immediately because they’re losing so badly.”
Trump added that the U.S. naval blockade in Hormuz is putting increasing economic pressure on Iran.
US and Iranian negotiators had been exploring a deal that would see Tehran reopen the Strait of Hormuz and Washington lift its blockade of Iranian ports, a person familiar with the matter said. The pact would have been similar to the memorandum of understanding the two countries reached in mid-June, which led to a fragile ceasefire that collapsed weeks later.
Earlier, the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump expects to resume the US bombing campaign against Iran after US midterm elections in early November and is skeptical about Iran’s willingness to meet his demands.
Trump declined to answer a question about whether he would resume bombing after the midterms.