Iran insists only diplomacy can end the war after Trump rejects Hormuz plan
Tehran says a negotiated deal is the only way out after President Trump publicly rejected its plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian officials say they are still waiting for a formal answer through mediators.
What we know: Iran on Sunday insisted that only diplomacy can resolve its conflict with the United States and Israel, a day after President Donald Trump said he had rejected Tehran’s proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and pause fighting, according to Reuters reporting carried by Al-Monitor.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on social media that “Our conditions are clear, and any move toward reopening the Strait of Hormuz is contingent on these conditions being met,” and that “Only a negotiated solution can get them out of this deadlock,” Al-Monitor reported.
The formal reply question: Despite Trump’s public rejection on Saturday, Araghchi said mediators have not officially relayed a U.S. rejection. “We are waiting for the mediators to convey the definitive views to us, and we will make a decision based on them,” he posted, according to Al-Monitor.
Trump told reporters at the White House on Saturday that he rejected the plan. “They want to make a deal to open the Hormuz Strait immediately because they’re losing so badly,” he said, according to Reuters (via Al-Monitor and ThePrint).
What Iranian leaders are saying: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, in an interview with CBS’s Face the Nation, said Tehran was ready for talks on its nuclear program and other issues but would not accept “bullying or coercion.” “Iran is not seeking war, but will defend itself against pressure, threats and attacks,” he said, adding that Iran had already agreed “we’re not supposed to develop nuclear weapons,” according to Reuters via Al-Monitor.
Al Jazeera’s Sunday liveblog said Pezeshkian also stated that Iran “no longer trusts talks with Washington.” The same liveblog quoted a top Iranian general saying the war “is not over, we have won, but we must consolidate this victory,” and warning that the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed until U.S. economic warfare ends.
How we got here: The war began on February 28 with U.S. and Israeli attacks, Reuters reported. Iran announced its seven-day Hormuz reopen proposal at the U.N. General Assembly last week, saying it had been sent to Washington through Qatari mediators.
The Wall Street Journal first reported Trump’s rejection, citing unnamed U.S. officials, and said he had privately told staff he sees a renewed bombing campaign as likely after the November midterm elections, according to Reuters summaries of that report. ReadingDlaw News has not independently confirmed those private remarks.
What is still unknown: Whether Qatar or other mediators will deliver a definitive U.S. position in writing, and whether either side will reopen a narrower channel for talks even after Trump’s public “no.” Shipping through the strait remains sharply reduced under the current standoff.
What this means: Publicly, Tehran is keeping the door open to negotiation while insisting its conditions still apply. Until mediators deliver a clear U.S. answer — or fighting and the economic blockade ease — the oil waterway stays effectively closed and the diplomatic path stays unsettled.