Trump rejects Iran’s offer to reopen Strait of Hormuz

President Donald Trump has rejected Iran’s seven-day ceasefire proposal, leaving the Strait of Hormuz closed and nuclear talks stuck. U.S. officials said Trump has also told aides he expects American bombing of Iran to restart after the November midterm elections.

Cryptopolitan previously reported that in return for opening the strait and resuming nuclear talks, Tehran requested that the U.S. lift the embargo on its ports, which has caused immense damage to its economy.

Trump, though, announced to the public that Tehran seeks an agreement after the elections and that any agreement must get rid of its nuclear program.

Privately, Trump is less sure Iran will accept his demands. Officials said he has told staff that another bombing campaign is likely.

Although Trump has declared many times before he was victorious after the start of the war, his tactics have fluctuated between negotiations, strikes, and stronger sanctions. Officials allegedly said his position could change over the coming weeks and may be shaped by the midterm results.

Trump keeps military pressure on Iran while Washington refuses to remove the blockade

The size of any future U.S. attack has not been decided. Officials could not determine how extensive those strikes might be. Officials said Trump is reluctant to restart a major combat campaign because Washington wants to preserve shrinking weapons stockpiles for other possible conflicts.

Still, he has threatened large attacks when talks with Tehran stall. He has sometimes followed through, while stopping short of his most extreme warnings, including threats to destroy Iran.

Trump addressed Iran at the United Nations General Assembly this week and said electoral politics would not affect his decisions.

“The Republican Party is running, and I’ll be helping them, but I am not running. I gave absolutely no credence and will not give credence through the election when it comes to Iran. The only thing that does is that Iran will never have a nuclear weapon.”

He has also told Republicans to vote as if his name were on the November ballot. The Senate rejected a war powers resolution aimed at restricting Trump’s authority over the Iran war. The measure had passed the House, but senators voted it down this week.

A U.S. official said Washington and Tehran are still talking through mediators, including about Iran’s nuclear program. An American-led operation helping oil tankers move through the Strait of Hormuz has also reduced Washington’s need to rush into an agreement.

Qatar pushes negotiations as Iran links reopening Hormuz to sanctions and asset relief

Qatar and other regional mediators have been working to restart U.S.-Iran talks. During a meeting in Qatar on Sunday, Iran proposed a seven-day pause that could lead to an end to attacks on shipping if Washington removed its blockade.

Reporting around the General Assembly confirmed Tehran has been promoting a seven-day roadmap built around reopening Hormuz and restarting nuclear discussions.

Iran’s terms go beyond removing the naval blockade. Tehran wants Washington to unfreeze some Iranian assets and lift restrictions on Iranian oil exports. Iran would then reopen the Strait of Hormuz and begin negotiations over its nuclear program.

This message has been passed by the U.S. to Iran and its facilitators that Trump does not have any intention to lift the sea embargo on them. It is the assumption of the American government that economic sanctions would finally bring them to terms that suit America and the Arab countries of the Persian Gulf.

Arab mediators said Iranian diplomats have offered several plans to stop the war and acknowledged Iran’s worsening economic crisis. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has taken a different position. The powerful military and economic force, which has effectively run Iran since the war started in February, has said it will not consider new deal structures and is prepared for a prolonged conflict.

Trump has informed Iran and the mediators of his desire to keep the maritime embargo. The Americans hope that by keeping up pressure on the Iranians economically, they will eventually agree to their terms and those of the Arab states around the Persian Gulf.

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