US President rejects Iran's Strait of Hormuz proposal

US President Donald Trump says he has rejected an Iranian proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which is important for oil deliveries. The offer was unacceptable, Trump told reporters at the White House. He pointed out that the US naval blockade was putting Iran under economic pressure because money was no longer coming in from energy exports. "I rejected their deal," said Trump.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had previously said that Tehran had sent Washington a "seven-day plan" via Qatar. "You can accept this seven-day plan, and in the end the Strait of Hormuz will be open," Aragshi said. According to him, part of the proposal was that the US first meet certain requirements. According to the Wall Street Journal, this included the United States lifting its naval blockade.

According to the Wall Street Journal, however, the US President doubted that Iran would meet his demands. He told his employees that he believed renewed bombings were likely after the midterm elections for the US Congress in November. A US government representative had previously described the talks with Iran through mediators as positive and constructive.

After the first US attacks in February, Iran blocked shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, through which a large proportion of oil and gas deliveries from the region pass. This also led to significantly higher fuel prices in the USA, which caused Trump's poll numbers to fall further. The general election is coming up at the beginning of November, in which Trump's Republican Party must fear at least losing control of the House of Representatives, one of the chambers of Congress, to the Democrats. That would limit Trump's leeway in the final two years of his term.

The US responded to Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz with its own blockade of Iranian seaports to put the country under economic pressure. According to Trump, more tankers are now coming through the Strait of Hormuz. Last night there were 29 ships, he said.