Trump rejects Iran’s proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz

United States President Donald Trump on Saturday rejected Iran’s proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within a week if the US meets certain conditions.

Trump spoke to reporters Saturday outside the White House before leaving for a college football game.

Iran offered this week to reopen the strait and resume talks on its nuclear programme in seven days if the US lifts its naval blockade of Iranian ports, waives sanctions on Iranian oil sales and observes a ceasefire that would include Lebanon.

Meanwhile, Iranian media outlets say the country’s president has left New York after the United Nations gathering of world leaders that included Iran’s indirect talks with the United States. And Saudi Arabia says it has intercepted another missile it blames on Iran -backed Houthis in neighbouring Yemen.

Trump posted an image early Saturday morning on his Truth Social platform of the Strait of Hormuz labeled “Trump Strait,” in the first public indication of his thinking after Iran proposed the new deal and suggested it might help Trump ahead of the midterm elections.

The White House on Friday said only that US officials were having positive and constructive conversations with mediators on the Iran war. Earlier in the week, Iran held hours of indirect talks with the US.

Semiofficial media outlets in Iran reported that President Masoud Pezeshkian has departed New York for Tehran after the annual UN gathering of world leaders.

Pezeshkian’s speech to the gathering pushed back against Trump’s latest threat to “annihilate” the Islamic Republic, but he ended by saying Tehran remains open to diplomacy.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told journalists Friday night that under Tehran’s proposal, Iran would reopen the Strait of Hormuz and resume talks on its nuclear programme in seven days if the United States lifts its naval blockade of Iranian ports, waives sanctions on Iranian oil sales and observes a ceasefire that would include Lebanon.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told CBS that from his viewpoint as a physician, Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has “no specific ongoing health issues” despite not being seen or heard in public since the war with the US and Israel began in February.

The interview will air Sunday.

In the transcript CBS released, Pezeshkian described his most recent meeting with Khamenei as lasting over seven hours.

“But, of course, he was healthy enough to be able to withstand those hours of that situation. From a medical standpoint, he’s completely healthy,” the president said. When asked whether the supreme leader’s face and legs have recovered, Pezeshkian responded, “Yes.”

Khamenei’s father and other family members were killed on the opening day of the war.

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