US President Donald Trump has rejected an Iranian proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and halt fighting across the Middle East within seven days, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing unnamed US officials.
The report said Trump had told aides that he expected a renewed bombing campaign against Iran after November’s US congressional elections.
Reuters said it could not immediately independently confirm the report.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Friday that Tehran had conveyed its peace proposal to Washington through Qatari mediators during the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Under the proposal, Iran said a deal would trigger a seven-day countdown towards reopening the strategically important waterway and pausing 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 told reporters.
A US official had previously told Reuters that Washington and Tehran were engaged in “positive and constructive discussions” through mediators.
However, according to the Wall Street Journal, Trump remained privately sceptical that Iran would meet his demands and had told his staff that he expected renewed military action.
What Iran’s Proposal Includes
Araqchi said that if Washington agreed to the proposal, the warring parties could move towards broader negotiations on “mutually agreed subjects”.
Under Tehran’s plan, Iran would reopen the Strait of Hormuz and halt hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon.
In return, the United States would be required to lift its blockade on Iranian ports, release frozen Iranian funds and waive its oil sanctions.
The proposal comes as the seven-month-old conflict continues to disrupt oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important shipping routes.
Return To Diplomacy?
The latest diplomatic effort follows several previous attempts to end the conflict, which began on February 28 with US and Israeli strikes on Iran.
Since then, the fighting has alternated between pauses and renewed attacks, killing thousands, weakening Iran’s conventional military capabilities and further damaging its economy.
Iran and its regional allies have also retaliated.
Iran has launched drone and missile attacks against US allies in the Gulf, while its Houthi allies in Yemen have targeted Saudi interests.
Iran-aligned militias in Iraq have also been blamed for a pipeline attack that temporarily reduced Saudi oil supplies.
In Lebanon, Iran-backed Hezbollah has been engaged in fighting with Israeli forces.
Saudi Arabia’s Allies Step Up Cooperation
The widening conflict has also prompted Saudi Arabia’s partners to strengthen defence cooperation.
The Saudi-backed, internationally recognised Yemeni government has come under attack from Iran-linked Houthi fighters, with Houthi missiles also striking inside Saudi Arabia.
Defence officials from Turkey and Pakistan — both partners in a joint defence pact with Saudi Arabia — met in Riyadh on Friday to review the security situation.
According to Saudi Arabia’s Defence Ministry, the talks covered intelligence cooperation, military coordination and the integration of forces.
The meeting came a day after the Saudi, Pakistani and Turkish foreign ministers held talks under the framework of the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement.
Meanwhile, the escalating violence in Yemen has triggered a new humanitarian crisis.
UNICEF said on Friday that acute malnutrition among children was rising as fighting intensified.
