Skip to content

Trump rejects Iranian proposal for ceasefire and opening of strait

The president would not say whether he plans to resume strikes against Iran after the midterm elections.

President Donald Trump walks up the stairs of Air Force One upon his departure at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, en route to watch the Texas versus Tennessee NCAA college football game in Knoxville, Tenn.
President Donald Trump walks up the stairs of Air Force One upon his departure at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, en route to watch the Texas versus Tennessee NCAA college football game in Knoxville, Tenn. Read moreLuis M. Alvarez / AP

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Saturday that he turned down Iran’s latest ceasefire proposal, which would have reopened the Strait of Hormuz and restarted talks on the country’s nuclear program.

“They made a proposal, but I rejected it,” Trump told reporters as he left the White House on Saturday morning.

Trump demurred when asked if he expected to restart military strikes after the November midterm elections, saying Iran wanted “to make a deal where they open the strait immediately because they’re losing so badly.”

Trump’s rebuff was the latest turn in what has been a cycle of bombings, peace proposals, grandiose threats, and conflicting messages throughout the nearly seven-month U.S.-Israeli war against Iran. Trump’s rejection of Iran’s offer came after his aides held a three-hour meeting with Iranian officials at the United Nations General Assembly this week in New York.

In his speech at the United Nations, Trump issued an ultimatum to Iran, saying its leaders could strike a deal with the United States or risk annihilation.

“Will a deal be made with Iran that lets them rebuild and create a far greater country than it ever was before — maybe one of the greatest in the Middle East or even the world?” Trump asked in speech Tuesday. “Or do I annihilate the Islamic Republic and do it quickly, never giving them a chance to kill and destroy people and countries again?”

Trump also suggested that Iran was dragging the war out to the midterm elections in the hopes of politically damaging Trump and Republicans. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route for oil and gas, has surged energy prices across the globe.

Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, told reporters Thursday that the seven-point proposal Trump rejected closely mirrored the commitments laid out in a so-called memorandum of understanding that was struck between the United States and Iran in June but that quickly unraveled.

Araghchi added “it would be better” if a deal were reached before the U.S. midterm elections.

He said that the proposed agreement would end fighting for seven days, including in Lebanon, and require the United States to release Iranian frozen assets estimated to be at least $12 billion, waive sanctions on Iranian oil, and lift the naval blockade on Iran. Then, on the last day, the Strait of Hormuz would be opened.

After the seven days, negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program would restart.

Trump said Saturday that he was still open to negotiating with Iran.

“They want to make a deal, and I think that’s fine, I like making a deal too,” Trump said. “But that deal would not be acceptable.”

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.