According to anonymous US officials cited by The Wall Street Journal on Friday, US President Donald Trump rejected Iran’s peace proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end regional hostilities within seven days. The officials also said Trump told aides he expected to resume bombing after the November midterm elections.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told reporters at the United Nations on Friday that Iran had submitted its peace proposal to the US through Qatari mediators.
Araqchi said the proposed agreement would trigger a seven-day countdown for reopening the Strait of Hormuz and ending hostilities across the region.
“If there is seriousness on the US side to come to a deal and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, everything is now prepared,” Araqchi said.
The seven-month conflict has disrupted oil flows through one of the world’s most vital shipping lanes and drawn the involvement of regional and global powers. Diplomatic efforts around the UN General Assembly in New York have highlighted the international stakes of the crisis.
According to Araqchi, the warring parties could begin broader negotiations on “mutually accepted themes” if the US agreed to Iran’s peace proposal. The plan would halt hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon, while Tehran would reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
The proposal also calls for the United States to lift its oil sanctions, release Iran’s frozen funds and ease its embargo on Iranian ports.
Return to diplomacy
Iran’s seven-day offer follows earlier diplomatic efforts to end the conflict, which began on February 28 after the United States and Israel launched strikes.
Since then, the conflict has alternated between temporary pauses and renewed attacks, killing thousands of people, weakening Iran’s conventional forces and further damaging its already fragile economy.
In retaliation, Iran and its allies have expanded the conflict across the region. Iran has used drones and missiles to target US partners in the Gulf, while its Houthi allies in Yemen have attacked Saudi interests.
Militias in Iraq with ties to Iran have also faced accusations over a pipeline attack that temporarily reduced Saudi oil supplies on the global market. Meanwhile, Iran-backed Hezbollah has continued fighting Israeli forces in Lebanon.
Backstory…
Meanwhile, the latest twist comes shortly after Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian declared that Iran will never submit following nearly seven months of military conflict with the United States and Israel, while reiterating a readiness to achieve a diplomatic solution.
Addressing the UN General Assembly in response to US President Donald Trump’s warning to “annihilate the Islamic Republic” if it failed to reach a peace deal, Pezeshkian asserted that economic sanctions, escalating pressure, and coercive tactics will only strengthen the resolve of the Iranian people
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