Iran insisted on Sunday that only diplomacy can resolve its conflict with the United States and Israel, a day after US President Donald Trump said he had rejected an Iranian peace proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end the fighting.
"Our conditions are clear, and any move toward reopening the Strait of Hormuz is contingent on these conditions being met," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi posted on social media. "Only a negotiated solution can get them out of this deadlock."
A rejected proposal
Iran announced the peace proposal earlier this week at the UN General Assembly in New York, saying it had been transmitted to the Americans through Qatari mediators. Araqchi said the deal would trigger a seven-day countdown to reopening the strait and a pause in regional fighting, potentially leading to wider talks on subjects including Iran's nuclear programme.
Trump said on Saturday he had rejected the plan, arguing that desperation was driving Iran's push for an agreement on the vital waterway. "They want to make a deal to open the Hormuz Strait immediately because they're losing so badly," Trump told reporters at the White House.
The Wall Street Journal first reported Trump's rejection, citing unnamed US officials. It also reported that Trump had told his staff he privately sees a renewed bombing campaign as likely after the November US midterm elections — a prospect that raises the stakes for the fragile diplomacy.
Mediators yet to convey a US rejection
Despite Trump's public statements, Araqchi said the mediators had not officially relayed a US rejection of the plan. "We are waiting for the mediators to convey the definitive views to us, and we will make a decision based on them," he posted.
A US official had earlier described discussions with Iran through mediators as "positive and constructive," highlighting the conflicting signals around the talks.
A conflict hurting the global economy
The US has imposed an economic blockade on Iran to pressure Tehran to stop attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, which have drastically reduced shipping through the critical waterway even as Trump repeatedly asserts that the US controls it.
The conflict, which began on February 28 with US and Israeli attacks, is now in its seventh month. It has alternated between pauses and renewed strikes, killing thousands while degrading Iran's conventional forces and damaging its already ailing economy, and has disrupted oil flows through the strait, taking a toll on the global economy.
Iran and its allies have retaliated across the region: Iran has struck US allies in the Gulf with drones and missiles, while its Houthi allies in Yemen have targeted Saudi interests.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told CBS's "Face the Nation" that Tehran was ready for talks on its nuclear programme and other issues but would not accept "bullying or coercion." A senior Iranian official told Reuters that Iran would show no flexibility over its nuclear programme — including uranium enrichment — even if the US accepted its peace deal.
Sources: Reuters — Iran insists on diplomatic solution after Trump rejects peace plan — https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-...on-after-trump-rejects-peace-plan-2026-09-26/ ; The Business Standard — Iran insists on diplomatic solution after Trump rejects peace plan — https://www.tbsnews.net/worldbiz/mi...lution-after-trump-rejects-peace-plan-1554716
"Our conditions are clear, and any move toward reopening the Strait of Hormuz is contingent on these conditions being met," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi posted on social media. "Only a negotiated solution can get them out of this deadlock."
A rejected proposal
Iran announced the peace proposal earlier this week at the UN General Assembly in New York, saying it had been transmitted to the Americans through Qatari mediators. Araqchi said the deal would trigger a seven-day countdown to reopening the strait and a pause in regional fighting, potentially leading to wider talks on subjects including Iran's nuclear programme.
Trump said on Saturday he had rejected the plan, arguing that desperation was driving Iran's push for an agreement on the vital waterway. "They want to make a deal to open the Hormuz Strait immediately because they're losing so badly," Trump told reporters at the White House.
The Wall Street Journal first reported Trump's rejection, citing unnamed US officials. It also reported that Trump had told his staff he privately sees a renewed bombing campaign as likely after the November US midterm elections — a prospect that raises the stakes for the fragile diplomacy.
Mediators yet to convey a US rejection
Despite Trump's public statements, Araqchi said the mediators had not officially relayed a US rejection of the plan. "We are waiting for the mediators to convey the definitive views to us, and we will make a decision based on them," he posted.
A US official had earlier described discussions with Iran through mediators as "positive and constructive," highlighting the conflicting signals around the talks.
A conflict hurting the global economy
The US has imposed an economic blockade on Iran to pressure Tehran to stop attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, which have drastically reduced shipping through the critical waterway even as Trump repeatedly asserts that the US controls it.
The conflict, which began on February 28 with US and Israeli attacks, is now in its seventh month. It has alternated between pauses and renewed strikes, killing thousands while degrading Iran's conventional forces and damaging its already ailing economy, and has disrupted oil flows through the strait, taking a toll on the global economy.
Iran and its allies have retaliated across the region: Iran has struck US allies in the Gulf with drones and missiles, while its Houthi allies in Yemen have targeted Saudi interests.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told CBS's "Face the Nation" that Tehran was ready for talks on its nuclear programme and other issues but would not accept "bullying or coercion." A senior Iranian official told Reuters that Iran would show no flexibility over its nuclear programme — including uranium enrichment — even if the US accepted its peace deal.
Sources: Reuters — Iran insists on diplomatic solution after Trump rejects peace plan — https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-...on-after-trump-rejects-peace-plan-2026-09-26/ ; The Business Standard — Iran insists on diplomatic solution after Trump rejects peace plan — https://www.tbsnews.net/worldbiz/mi...lution-after-trump-rejects-peace-plan-1554716
