Trump Rejects Iran's Offer to Reopen Strait of Hormuz Within a Week

An offer, rejected

President Trump rejected an Iranian proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within a week, speaking to reporters outside the White House on Saturday before leaving for a college football game.

The offer came Friday night from Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi: Iran would reopen the strait and resume nuclear talks within seven days if the United States lifted its naval blockade of Iranian ports, waived sanctions on Iranian oil sales, and observed a ceasefire that included Lebanon.

Trump's first public reaction came earlier Saturday, when he posted an image on Truth Social of the Strait of Hormuz relabeled "Trump Strait." Iran had suggested the deal could be politically useful for Trump ahead of the U.S. midterm elections.

Talks continue in the background

Despite the public rejection, the White House said Friday that officials were having "positive and constructive conversations with mediators" on the broader Iran war, and indirect U.S.-Iran talks took place earlier in the week.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian left New York for Tehran after addressing the UN General Assembly, where he pushed back on Trump's earlier threat to "annihilate" the Islamic Republic while saying Tehran remains open to diplomacy.

Questions about Khamenei's health

In a CBS interview set to air Sunday, Pezeshkian addressed persistent questions about Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not appeared in public since the war with the United States and Israel began in February. Pezeshkian said Khamenei has "no specific ongoing health issues," describing a recent meeting with him that lasted more than seven hours. Khamenei's father and other family members were killed on the war's opening day.

A wider regional flashpoint

The standoff is playing out against a tense regional backdrop. Saudi Arabia said it intercepted a Houthi-fired ballistic missile aimed at Khamis Mushait, and the Gulf Cooperation Council condemned the attack as a "grave escalation."

For now, both sides remain publicly dug in: Iran has put a concrete offer on the table, and Trump has answered it with a meme rather than a counteroffer, leaving the war's next move unclear.