The United States has rejected Iran’s proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, with US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz describing the offer as “cynical.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi proposed a seven-day roadmap under which Tehran would reopen the strategic waterway and resume negotiations if Washington ends its naval blockade, lifts sanctions on Iranian oil sales, and releases frozen Iranian assets.
Waltz said the conditions were unacceptable because Iran was demanding major concessions before negotiations could begin.
US President Donald Trump also rejected the proposal on Saturday, saying Iran was seeking a deal because it was under severe pressure.
However, Araghchi defended Tehran’s position, saying Iran was prepared to reopen the strait if the US met its conditions. He said the demands reflected what Iran considers its rights and were not new.
“We are ready to open the strait if certain things are done by the US,” Araghchi told NBC.
He added that Iran remained open to diplomacy but said Tehran had little reason to resume talks with the Trump administration because of its previous actions.
Iran has said it is still awaiting a formal US response through mediators, despite Trump’s public rejection of the proposal.
The Strait of Hormuz remains a major global energy route, and shipping through the waterway has fallen sharply amid the conflict. Reuters reported that only 17 commodity vessels crossed the strait over one recent weekend, compared with a pre-war average of about 125 vessels a day.
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