Trump Rejects Iranian '7-Day Plan'.. 'Bombing After the Elections'

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U.S. President Donald Trump rejected an Iranian proposal for a 7-day ceasefire, which includes steps to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and resume navigation, while indirect communications between Washington and Tehran continue through intermediaries.

Trump has informed his aides that he expects to resume bombing Iran after the midterm elections scheduled for November, and he expressed doubts during closed discussions about Tehran's willingness to meet U.S. demands, according to the Wall Street Journal, citing U.S. officials.

U.S. officials noted that Trump's positions may change as the war continues and may be influenced by the results of the midterm elections, explaining that the United States has informed Iran and intermediaries that Trump does not intend to lift the maritime blockade imposed on Iranian ports, despite ongoing indirect talks regarding ending the war and the nuclear file.

Officials indicated that Washington and Tehran are still negotiating through intermediaries, including on the nuclear file, while they considered that U.S. efforts to ensure tanker passage through Hormuz have reduced the urgent need to reach an agreement at this time.

Trump had stated in his speech before the United Nations General Assembly that he has a 'big decision' regarding Iran, discussing the option of reaching an agreement or 'eliminating it', but in any case, he linked that to after the midterm elections.

The announcement of Trump's rejection came after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reiterated that his country had presented to Washington through intermediaries a 'concrete plan' extending for 7 days, which involves taking reciprocal steps leading to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and the resumption of negotiations.

Araghchi said from New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly meetings that the plan stipulates that 'if the necessary conditions are met, the strait may be reopened and navigation may return to normal within 7 days', adding that 'the choice is now up to the United States'.

It is worth noting that the Iranian proposal included a ceasefire, including in other regional fronts, lifting the U.S. maritime blockade on Iranian ports, easing restrictions on Iranian oil exports, and releasing frozen Iranian assets, with Iran committing to reopen the Strait of Hormuz on the seventh day, after which negotiations regarding its nuclear program would resume.

Additionally, the plan comes at a time when Washington and Tehran continue indirect communications through intermediaries, including Qatar, in an attempt to find a way out of the war that has been ongoing since late February. An American official told Al Arabiya/Al Hadath that the talks through intermediaries are 'positive and constructive', but he emphasized that the United States 'is not in a hurry' to reach an agreement, given what Washington considers an important leverage point represented by controlling navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

Meanwhile, the Strait of Hormuz has become a major focal point in the confrontation between Washington and Tehran, as freedom of navigation through the strategic waterway has become directly linked to the course of the war and negotiations. Iran, through the new proposal, seeks to link the reopening of the strait to easing U.S. military and economic pressure on it, while Washington focuses on ensuring freedom of navigation and pressuring Tehran regarding its nuclear program.