Trump rebuffs Iranian deal to reopen Hormuz
Shafaq News- Washington
US President Donald Trump on Saturday rejected an Iranian proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, saying Washington has “total control” over the strategic maritime gateway.
Speaking to reporters outside the White House, Trump said Iran wanted to reach a deal to reopen the channel immediately “because they’re losing so badly,” casting the closure as a strategic trap Tehran had created for itself.
“Iran trapped itself by closing the Strait of Hormuz and we imposed the largest blockade in military history on it,” he said. “We built a steel wall around the Strait of Hormuz and Iran no longer has money because of its closure.”
Trump’s rejection came in response to a proposal Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi presented to US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner during indirect talks on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly on September 22, 2026.
Under the proposal, Iran would reopen the Strait of Hormuz and resume nuclear talks within a week in exchange for the United States lifting its naval blockade, removing sanctions on Iranian oil sales and reinstating a ceasefire across the region. US negotiators had already made clear to Araghchi during the talks that Washington did not consider Iran to control the waterway and therefore could not make demands over its reopening.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that Trump had privately rejected the offer, telling aides that he expected to resume bombing Iran after the November midterm elections.
