After Trump's Rejection, Iran Insists on Diplomacy to Resolve Conflict with the US

Iran insisted today, Sunday, that diplomacy alone is the way to resolve its conflict with America, after US President Donald Trump announced his rejection of an Iranian proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and stop the fighting.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on the "X" platform: "Our conditions are clear, and any step toward reopening the Strait of Hormuz is conditional upon meeting these conditions." He added: "Only a negotiated solution can get them out of this predicament."

Iran had announced a peace proposal last week during the UN General Assembly in New York, stating that the proposal was referred to the American side through Qatari intermediaries.

Trump said on Saturday that he rejects the plan, stating that desperation is what drives Iranians to seek an agreement regarding the strategic waterway.

Trump told reporters at the White House: "They want to make a deal to open the Strait of Hormuz immediately because they are losing badly."

Despite Trump's public statements, Araghchi noted that intermediaries in talks between the United States and Iran have not officially conveyed an American rejection of the plan.

Araghchi wrote: "We await the intermediaries conveying final views to us, and we will make a decision based on them."

The United States imposed an economic blockade on Iran to pressure it to stop attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz, which led to a sharp decline in navigation traffic through the strait, even as Trump repeatedly asserts that the United States controls the waterway.

The "Wall Street Journal" was the first to report Trump's rejection of the Iranian proposal, citing unnamed US officials.

The newspaper added that Trump expressed unspoken doubts about whether Iran would meet his demands, and told staff members that he sees the possibility of launching a new bombing campaign against Tehran after the US midterm elections in November.

An American official stated earlier that discussions with Iran through intermediaries were "positive and constructive."

Conflict curbs oil flows

Iranians continued communicating with Saudis regarding the strait, underscoring the severity of the seven-month-long conflict, which has disrupted oil flow through one of the world's most important shipping lanes and negatively impacted the global economy.

The Iranian foreign minister told journalists at the UN on Friday that the agreement would trigger a 7-day countdown for reopening the strait and stopping fighting in the region.

Araghchi said: "If there is seriousness from the American side to reach an agreement and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, everything is ready now," adding that if the United States agrees, warring parties could begin broader talks "on mutually agreed issues."

This might include discussions on Iran's nuclear program. Trump pledged that Tehran will never obtain a nuclear bomb, while a senior Iranian official told Reuters that his country will not show flexibility regarding its nuclear program even if the United States accepts its proposed deal to end the war.

The official added that Iran will not make concessions on its rights, including uranium enrichment or shipping highly enriched uranium out of the country.

Confronting pressures and threats

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in an interview with CBS that Tehran is prepared to hold talks on its nuclear program and other issues but will not accept "bullying or coercion."

Pezeshkian said: "Iran does not seek war, but it will defend itself against pressures, threats, and attacks," adding that it has already agreed "not to develop nuclear weapons."

Previous diplomatic attempts failed to end the war, which erupted on February 28 with American and Israeli attacks.

Since then, the pace of the war has varied between periods of calm and renewed strikes, causing thousands of deaths, weakening traditional Iranian forces, and damaging the already struggling Iranian economy.

Iran and its allies responded by expanding the scope of the conflict to include other countries in the region. Iran launched drone and missile attacks on regional countries, while the Houthi militia in Yemen targeted Saudi territory.