Iran awaits US response after Trump rejects Hormuz reopening plan

Iran says it will wait for an official US position before deciding how to proceed after President Donald Trump rejected a proposal to restore commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz within seven days.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the proposal had been discussed during talks held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. Iran linked the reopening of the strategic waterway to an end to hostilities and to conditions contained in a memorandum of understanding signed by the two countries in June.

Trump dismissed the proposal, saying it did not meet US requirements. He also claimed that the United States already had total control of the strait, where large quantities of oil were continuing to pass.

Araghchi said on Telegram that Iran was awaiting a definitive account of the US position from mediators before responding. His comments, reported by the BBC, also criticised what he described as repeated inconsistencies in Trump’s public statements.

A vital route under pressure

The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow but crucial maritime passage through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s gas and oil supply normally travels. It has been effectively shut to regular commercial traffic since war broke out in February, according to the report.

Any prolonged disruption carries consequences well beyond the countries directly involved. The waterway is a major route for energy shipments, meaning uncertainty over its future can affect traders, importers and governments that rely on supplies moving through the Gulf.

Iran’s proposal sought to connect the question of navigation with the wider conflict. Tehran raised both the possibility of reopening the strait and the need to stop hostilities during the recent discussions in New York. Araghchi said an agreement remained possible if the required conditions were satisfied.

The report does not describe a formal agreement resulting from those exchanges. Instead, the next step appears to depend on the message delivered by mediators and on whether Washington considers Iran’s conditions acceptable.

Oman urges continued dialogue

Oman has been serving as an intermediary between the United States and Iran and called on all sides to maintain communication. Speaking during the UN General Debate, Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Albusaidi urged the parties to work with Oman to protect navigation through the waterway.

Oman’s involvement gives the dispute a diplomatic channel at a moment when the two governments remain far apart. Iran says it is waiting for clarification rather than immediately abandoning the proposal, while the Trump administration has presented the offer as inadequate.

The US ambassador to Nato, Matthew Whitaker, supported Trump’s rejection in an interview with Fox News. He characterised Iran’s proposal as incomplete and intended to improve Tehran’s international image rather than resolve the underlying crisis.

The disagreement therefore involves more than the timetable for reopening the strait. It also reflects a dispute over whether Iran’s offer represents a meaningful step towards de-escalation or an attempt to gain relief without meeting US demands.

Sanctions add economic pressure

The diplomatic standoff is unfolding alongside a US campaign of economic pressure against Iran. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the measures were harming Tehran and pointed to restrictions affecting Iranian aviation and banking.

According to Bessent, Turkey, Oman and the United Arab Emirates have suspended flights operated by various Iranian airlines. Banks in the UAE and Turkey have also stopped some transactions involving Iran.

The Trump administration has named its economic blockade of Iran Operation Economic Outcast. The sanctions are intended to pressure Tehran into stopping attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.

Their effectiveness remains uncertain. Some economists have questioned whether the measures can achieve their goal, arguing that much depends on how Iran’s principal trading partners respond. China is especially important because it is the largest purchaser of Iranian oil and has continued trading with Tehran despite earlier US sanctions.

That leaves the crisis balanced between diplomatic mediation and escalating pressure. Iran is waiting for the official US message, Oman is calling for dialogue, and Washington has rejected the proposed seven-day reopening arrangement. Until those positions change, the future of commercial navigation through the strait remains unresolved.