Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, urged that a negotiated solution is the only path to end the conflict between the United States and Iran after President Donald Trump publicly rejected a proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Trump told reporters at the White House that the Iranian offer was not “acceptable” and that Tehran wanted a deal to open the strait to commercial shipping within seven days because “they’re losing so badly.”
In a Telegram post, Araghchi acknowledged Trump’s rejection but said Iran would wait for a “definitive” official US response. He noted that the president had made contradictory statements in the past and that the conditions to open the strait were the same as those in a memorandum of understanding signed in June between the US and Iran.
Iran said it had raised reopening the strait and ending hostilities during negotiations on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York this past week. The vital waterway, through which around a fifth of the world’s gas and oil supply normally flows, has been effectively closed since the outbreak of war in February.
Trump stated, “I’m rejecting their deal,” adding that the US already had “total control” of the strait, with “massive amounts of oil” passing through it, causing massive rises in global oil prices and steep fuel cost increases for consumers.
Araghchi’s statement comes as Iran seeks a diplomatic resolution to the standoff, emphasizing the need for a negotiated settlement to restore normal shipping through the strait.
