Trump rejects Iran's seven-day plan to reopen Hormuz Strait

US President Donald Trump on Saturday rejected an Iranian proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and agree to a ceasefire. "They put forward a proposal, but I turned it down," he told reporters. According to a report published overnight in the Wall Street Journal, Trump has made clear to his aides that he plans to resume strikes on Iran after the US midterm elections, scheduled for early November.

The Iranian proposal was delivered Friday by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who said Tehran had sent Washington a plan to reopen the strait within seven days. "The ball is now in America's court," the Iranian foreign minister said, adding that the seven-day countdown would begin only after the US approves the plan.

"The seven days will start when the US accepts"

Araghchi said the steps required of Washington under the proposal are not new. "They all already appear in the memorandum of understanding" between the countries, he claimed. According to him, the plan includes conditions the US must meet, after which the strait will be opened to shipping. "If they accept this seven-day plan, at the end of the seven days the Strait of Hormuz will be open," the Iranian foreign minister said.

After the strait is reopened, Araghchi said, talks on the nuclear issue could resume. At the same time, the Iranian foreign minister addressed claims regarding his country's nuclear program. "The claim that Iran is on the verge of obtaining a nuclear weapon is a big lie, first invented by Israel in 2003," he said. According to him, the United States and European countries continue to repeat this claim. Araghchi added that Iran "will not give up its sovereign rights under pressure."

Trump at the UN General Assembly; Photo: Lev Radin/Shutterstock (Photo: Lev Radin/Shutterstock)

Trump at the UN: "I will decide - a deal or destruction"

The US president also addressed the tensions with Iran in his speech to the UN General Assembly in New York this week. "I have to make a big decision: will there be a deal with Iran, or will I destroy them completely?" Trump said. "I believe there will be a deal after the midterm elections."

In his speech, Trump made clear that "Iran's goal was to rush to a nuclear bomb, under the umbrella of their ballistic missiles. If they had succeeded, they could have done whatever they wanted." The American president added: "After I gave them every possible chance for a deal, I acted to make sure no American would have to be threatened."

Israel's ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, thanked Trump for his speech. "Thank you to President Trump for opening the General Assembly today with a clear message of strength and leadership," Danon said. "The US and Israel share common values and a deep alliance. The Abraham Accords proved that courageous leadership can change the Middle East; together we will continue to fight the axis of evil and expand the circle of peace."