Trump Rejects Iran's Proposal to Reopen Strait of Hormuz

President Donald Trump said on Sept. 26, 2026, he had rejected an Iranian proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump spoke to reporters as he was departing the White House. He said the Iranian deal "would not be acceptable." In separate remarks on the proposal, he said, "They made a proposal but I reject it." NPR

He said Iran wants a deal to open the strait immediately because it is losing badly.

The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow waterway used by oil tankers, so a closure disrupts shipping. The Iranian proposal called for resuming negotiations between the United States and Iran at the United Nations General Assembly meetings in New York. It also called for reopening the strait and ending hostilities. A separate account described it as a plan to reopen the strait within a week and resume nuclear talks. The Guardian

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran conveyed to the U.S. through Qatar a "concrete seven-day plan" to reopen the strait. Araghchi said if necessary conditions are met, the strait can be reopened and normal passage for ships restored within seven days. He said the actions the U.S. should take are already in the memorandum of understanding and under U.S. commitments.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a prerecorded CBS interview set to air Sept. 27, 2026, that Iran will abide by its commitments. Pezeshkian said if the U.S. accepts the Iranian proposal on reopening the strait and resuming nuclear negotiations, Iran would allow U.N. nuclear inspectors to enter the country. Those inspectors are independent monitors who check nuclear sites.

The current offer tracks closely to a memorandum of understanding agreed upon by the U.S. and Iran in June 2026. A memorandum of understanding is a preliminary written agreement, like a rough draft before a final deal. That memorandum would have temporarily ended fighting and restarted ceasefire talks. Under its terms, Iran received relief from a U.S. naval blockade, an operation to block ships. The U.S. eased sanctions, or economic penalties, and freed up frozen Iranian assets. Iran promised not to seek a nuclear weapon and said it would reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

That agreement collapsed after disputes over vague wording, including language related to who would control the strait. The U.S. and Iran resumed strikes soon after.

Iran initially closed the strait after the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28. Trump later directed a U.S. naval blockade to counter Iranian aggression and restore safe passage through the strait, according to an April White House release. A May White House fact sheet on U.S. deals with China said U.S. and Chinese leaders agreed Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon and called to reopen the strait.

Days before the rejection, Trump had warned he could annihilate Iran if there is no deal to end the war. He also suggested that an agreement with Iran to end the war could come soon. Reuters

The broader context here is sequencing and enforcement. Washington and Tehran have already negotiated the core trade of blockade relief, sanctions relief and asset releases for a no-nuclear-weapon pledge and reopening. The failure point in June was control language and vague implementation terms. The question now is whether a seven-day timeline can hold without prior agreement on inspections, control of the waterway, and the order of steps by each side.