Iran confirms that diplomacy is the only way, and Trump rejects its proposal regarding the Strait of Hormuz

Iran insisted on Sunday that diplomacy is the only way to resolve its conflict with the United States and Israel, 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 Araqchi wrote on social media, “Our conditions are clear, and any step towards reopening the Strait of Hormuz is conditional on meeting these conditions.” He added, "Only a negotiated solution can get them out of this impasse."

Iran announced a peace proposal last week during the United Nations General Assembly in New York, saying that the proposal had been referred to the American side through Qatari mediators. Trump said on Saturday that he rejects the plan, saying that desperation is what drives the Iranians to seek an agreement on the strategic waterway.

"They want to conclude an agreement to open the Strait of Hormuz immediately because they are suffering huge losses," Trump told reporters at the White House.

Despite Trump's public statements, Araqchi stated that the mediators in the talks between the United States and Iran did not officially convey American rejection of the plan.

The Wall Street Journal was the first to report Trump's rejection of the Iranian proposal, citing unnamed American officials. The newspaper added that Trump privately expressed doubts that Iran would meet his demands, and told his staff that he saw the possibility of launching a new bombing campaign against Tehran after the US midterm elections in November.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian expressed his country's readiness to contribute to resolving the dispute between Saudi Arabia and Yemen (the Houthis), stressing that Iran does not seek to inflame conflicts in the region.

In statements to the Qatari Al Jazeera channel, excerpts of which were broadcast today, Saturday (9/29/2026), Pezeshkian said that his country “can help resolve the dispute between Saudi Arabia and Yemen,” adding: “We will not be war makers.” He also praised the role of Saudi Arabia, considering that it is capable of contributing to the unification of the countries of the Islamic world.

The Iranian President stressed that the security of the region must be achieved through the cooperation of its countries, without the need for a “policeman for the region.” Regarding the Yemeni issue, Pezeshkian denied the existence of a direct link between Tehran and what is happening there, stressing that Iran stands in solidarity with everyone who is subjected to injustice, but he stressed that the developments in Yemen are not linked to his country.

Regarding relations with the United States, the Iranian President revealed that Qatar and Pakistan are currently mediating between Tehran and Washington, indicating that any negotiations are based on a previous memorandum of understanding, and that the United States must determine its position on it.

At the same time, Pezeshkian expressed skepticism about the feasibility of dialogue with Washington, saying that his country had lost confidence in the talks due to the repetition of sanctions and pressure after each negotiating round, wondering about the feasibility of meeting with the American president in light of the non-implementation of previous agreements.

Iran presented to the United States a seven-day plan to stop hostilities and reopen the strategic Strait of Hormuz, in a new attempt to break the stalemate in the war that has been going on for about seven months, while President Donald Trump reportedly rejected the proposal and preferred to resume air strikes against the Islamic Republic after the end of the midterm elections.

Earlier this week, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi held talks with Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff, after presenting Tehran's conditions for ending the war and reopening the vital shipping lane. Araqchi said from the United Nations headquarters in New York on Friday, "Iran has conveyed to the United States via Qatar a concrete seven-day plan. If the necessary conditions are met, the strait may be reopened and transit traffic may return to normal within seven days." He pointed out, "The choice now rests with the United States. Iran does not accept repression, threats, or intimidation, and it will not give up its sovereign rights under pressure."

However, hours after his statement, the Wall Street Journal quoted informed American officials as Trump’s rejection of the proposal. The newspaper's report indicated that the 80-year-old president is skeptical about Tehran's ability to meet his demands and believes that a renewed bombing campaign is likely after the midterm elections scheduled for November.

On the same evening, Donald Trump also posted on his “Truth Social” platform a picture of a map showing the Strait of Hormuz, circled with the phrase “Trump Strait.”

Media reports reported that the new plan calls for a cessation of all hostilities in the Middle East for seven days, including in Lebanon. He said that the conditions are the same as those contained in a memorandum of understanding signed by Iran and the United States earlier this year.

The plan also stipulates, according to the newspaper, a demand for the release of frozen Iranian assets worth about $12 billion, as well as the lifting of sanctions on Iranian oil and an end to the US blockade on Iranian ports. On the seventh day of the truce, Iran reopens the Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian confirmed during an interview with CBS that the ceasefire process will begin "from the day they accept this." Pezeshkian added, "We previously reached an agreement based on the memorandum of understanding that was signed in Pakistan... If the United States agrees to move forward on this path, everything will return to how it was before."

Iran has threatened its neighboring countries if they choose to implement new US sanctions on Iranian airlines, which have led to restrictions on international flights to and from Iran.

The warning came at a time when Iranian airlines canceled a number of international flights, after the United States threatened airports and aviation service providers with imposing secondary sanctions on them if they dealt with Iranian airlines.

Muhammad Mokhber, advisor to the Iranian Supreme Leader, wrote on the X platform today, Friday (September 25, 2026): “Siding with the United States in implementing hostile policies will remain engraved in the memory of the Iranian people.”

He added: "Either the airspace will be open to everyone or closed to everyone. If Iran is deprived of its right to fly and access airport services, no country in the region will be able to do that either."

This week, several countries stopped dealing with Iranian airlines and refused to allow them to use their airspace.

Only a few Iranian airlines remain operating flights from Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport to destinations including Russia, China and Turkey. Istanbul, in particular, is an important center for travelers moving between Iran, Europe, or the United States.

Flights to and from Iran were suspended at the four Iraqi airports that were operating these flights, after the airports of Erbil and Sulaymaniyah joined, today, Friday, Baghdad and Najaf, while the UAE suspended the flights of Iranian airlines, in light of American threats to impose sanctions on the parties that deal with them.

Washington announced that it will impose sanctions on any companies around the world that deal with Iranian airlines after September 23, with the aim of stopping the Iranian civil aviation fleet worldwide.

For his part, the advisor and assistant to the Iranian guide, Muhammad Mokhber, threatened the countries that suspended the flights of Iranian airlines, saying that “flight in the region will either be available to everyone, or it will not be available to anyone.”

Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan intend to hold an urgent high-level meeting within the framework of a joint defense agreement to discuss ways to support the Kingdom in light of the attacks launched by the Houthis on it, while Tehran sought to distance itself from the rapid advance of its Houthi allies.

The Houthis launched attacks on the Saudi-backed Yemeni government and repeatedly fired into the kingdom's territory, disrupting the flow of oil from the world's largest energy exporter, as part of the expanding war that began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran in February.

The Houthis said they fired dozens of missiles and drones at Saudi targets yesterday, Thursday, while authorities in Saudi Arabia reported that they intercepted six ballistic missiles launched by the Houthis.

The highest religious authority in Saudi Arabia called on the forces to prepare to exert themselves and confront the Houthi group, according to a statement published by the official Saudi Press Agency.

Amid the exchange of attacks, the Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey held a meeting “within the framework of the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement” and condemned the attacks that targeted Mecca and other civilian sites, and affirmed, according to the statement, Saudi Arabia’s right to defend itself.

The war, which US President Donald Trump started in cooperation with Israel in February, killed thousands and caused disruption to global energy supplies, leading to higher oil prices.