Iran Says Only Diplomacy Can End War as Trump Rejects Its Hormuz Reopening Proposal
Iran has urged Washington to return to negotiations, insisting that dialogue is the only route out of a seven-month war, a day after US President Donald Trump said he had turned down Tehran’s plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and halt the fighting. Iran diplomacy war
Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Sunday that Iran’s terms were unambiguous and that any move to restore shipping through the waterway depended on them being met.
He added that mediators had not formally conveyed any American rejection, and that Tehran would decide its next step once it received Washington’s definitive position.
Iran unveiled the proposal at the UN General Assembly in New York last week, saying it was passed to the Americans through Qatari intermediaries. Araqchi said acceptance would start a seven-day countdown to reopening the strait and pause hostilities across the region.
Trump dismissed the offer on Saturday, arguing that Tehran was eager for a quick deal because it was faring badly in the conflict. US ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said the plan demanded immediate sanctions relief and the release of frozen assets in exchange for a promise of later talks.
Trump doubts Iran’s good faith on ending its nuclear programme, he said. Even so, Trump told Axios he expected US negotiators to hold more talks this week.
President Masoud Pezeshkian told CBS that Iran was prepared to discuss its nuclear programme and other issues but would not yield to coercion, adding that Tehran did not seek war.
Iran’s army commander, Amir Hatam, described the conflict as at a decisive stage and said Iran would not accept being shut out of trade while foreign powers use the region’s sea lanes.
Washington has imposed an economic blockade on Iran to pressure it over attacks on vessels near Hormuz, sharply cutting traffic through a corridor vital to global oil supplies.
The war began on February 28 with US and Israeli strikes and has since alternated between lulls and renewed attacks, killing thousands and weakening Iran’s conventional forces and economy. Middle East Report
