Iran Says Won’t Soften Demands After Trump Rejects Hormuz Offer

Iran said it’s awaiting a definitive US response to a seven-day proposal for reopening the crucial Strait of Hormuz but won’t soften its conditions, after President Donald Trump voiced his rejection.

The Islamic Republic is aware of Trump’s remarks though has yet to receive anything from mediators Qatar and Pakistan, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was cited as saying by state-run broadcaster IRIB late Saturday.

“The US president has made some good remarks as well as many contradictory ones, which unfortunately we hear from him frequently,” Araghchi said.

Only a “negotiated solution” can resolve the impasse over the global energy bottleneck, he added.

US and Iranian negotiators had been exploring a deal that would see Tehran reopen the strait and Washington lift a blockade of Iranian ports, according to a person familiar with the matter. The pact would have been similar to the memorandum of understanding the two reached in mid-June, which led to a fragile ceasefire that soon collapsed.

“They made a proposal but I rejected it,” Trump said Saturday as he departed the White House, referring to Iran. “They want to make a deal where they open the strait immediately because they’re losing so badly.”

Saudi Arabia’s capital came under attack from Houthi militants in Yemen on Saturday — the latest sign of Iranian-backed groups stepping up hostilities against US allies in the Middle East.

Saudi-backed coalition forces in Yemen said air defenses intercepted two drones launched by the Houthis toward Riyadh, as well as a ballistic missile targeting the southern border area of Khamis Mushait.

About a week ago, air-raid alerts were issued for Riyadh’s residents for the first time since the height of hostilities during March and April. Air-defenses intercepted missiles headed toward the Saudi capital.

Earlier, the Wall Street Journal reported Trump expects to resume the bombing campaign against Iran after US midterm elections in early November and is skeptical about Iran’s willingness to meet his demands.

Trump declined to answer a question about whether he would resume bombing after the midterms.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, speaking at the United Nations General Assembly in New York last week, said his country wouldn’t allow freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz while sanctions and a US blockade remain in place.

Tehran wouldn’t give up the right to develop nuclear technology for economic purposes either, he added.