Agencies | Washington:
US President Donald Trump has rejected Iran’s proposal for a seven-day ceasefire and told aides that he expects US bombing of Iran to resume after the November midterm elections, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing US officials.
According to the report, Trump remains sceptical that Tehran would accept US demands and has indicated that he expects Iran to seek a broader agreement after the midterms, including commitments on its nuclear programme. The report could not be independently verified by Reuters.
The development comes days after Iran presented Washington with a seven-day roadmap aimed at ending the conflict and restoring shipping through the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz.
Under Tehran’s proposal, the United States would lift its naval blockade of Iranian ports, ease sanctions affecting Iranian oil exports and observe a ceasefire. In return, Iran would reopen the Strait of Hormuz and resume negotiations over its nuclear programme.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in New York that Tehran had conveyed the proposal to Washington through mediators. He said the plan was based on commitments contained in a memorandum of understanding reached between the two sides in June.
Araghchi said that, if the necessary conditions were met, the Strait of Hormuz could be reopened and normal maritime traffic restored within seven days, with nuclear negotiations resuming as part of the process.
“The choice now rests with the United States,” Araghchi said, according to reports.
The proposal also calls for an end to hostilities on multiple regional fronts. Iran has said the measures it is seeking from Washington are not new but reflect commitments already contained in the earlier understanding between the two sides.
The latest proposal comes amid renewed but inconclusive diplomatic contacts between Washington and Tehran. US and Iranian representatives communicated through mediators on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York this week, marking the first such contact in months after an interim ceasefire arrangement collapsed in July.
Trump has publicly indicated that he believes a deal could be reached after the November elections, while maintaining that any agreement must address Iran’s nuclear programme. At the UN General Assembly, he called for economic isolation of Iran but also said he expected an agreement after the midterms.
The Wall Street Journal report that Trump expects renewed bombing after the elections, if accurate, highlights the continuing gap between Washington and Tehran despite the latest diplomatic initiative.
The Strait of Hormuz remains at the centre of the dispute because of its importance to international energy and maritime trade. Iran’s proposal seeks to make its reopening part of a broader ceasefire and negotiations framework, while Washington continues to press Tehran over its nuclear programme and other conditions.
For now, there is no indication of an agreement between the two sides, with the latest reports pointing to continued uncertainty over whether the diplomatic channel can produce a durable ceasefire.
