Trump rejects Iran's seven-day plan to reopen Hormuz; WSJ says he expects renewed bombing after midterms

President Trump said Saturday he rejected Iran's offer to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and restart nuclear talks within seven days if the U.S. met its conditions. The Wall Street Journal, citing U.S. officials, reported that he has told aides renewed bombing after the November midterms is likely. Talks through mediators continue.

By US Brief desk · Updated 2026-09-26T16:10:00-07:00

Abbas Araghchi, then Iran's deputy foreign minister (right), meets IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi in Vienna in May 2021 (file photo)

Editor’s note: The proposal's terms and quotes follow CNBC (Azhar Sukri, Sep 26, 2026) and Reuters (Menna Alaaeldin, Parisa Hafezi, Sep 26). Trump's rejection is from his remarks to reporters Saturday, per CNBC. His private expectation of renewed bombing is from The Wall Street Journal citing unnamed U.S. officials; CNBC said it could not confirm it. The Qatari mediation channel and CENTCOM's vessel count follow Reuters. Oil settlement prices follow CNBC and Reuters for Friday, Sep 25.

President Donald Trump said Saturday that he had turned down Iran's latest proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the latest setback in the search for a way out of a war that began Feb. 28 with U.S. and Israeli airstrikes. "They made a proposal but I rejected it," Trump told reporters, according to CNBC.

The offer: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Friday on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York that the strait could reopen and nuclear talks resume within seven days if Washington met Tehran's conditions. "If certain conditions are met, the Strait of Hormuz will be open at the end of seven days, and talks will be restarted," he said. Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said this week those conditions include halting what Tehran calls U.S. "acts of aggression," ending the naval blockade and economic warfare, and releasing Iranian assets. Reuters reported the roadmap was passed through Qatari mediators.

The WSJ report: Before Trump's remarks, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing U.S. officials, that he had rejected the plan. It said he is privately skeptical Iran will meet U.S. demands and has told aides a renewed bombing campaign after the November midterms is likely. CNBC said it could not immediately confirm the report. The Journal also quoted a U.S. official as saying the two sides are still negotiating through mediators, including over U.S. demands meant to keep Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.

Tehran's position: Reuters reported earlier Saturday that Iran was still awaiting an official U.S. response. U.S. Central Command says it has redirected 122 commercial vessels under the blockade.

Houthi attacks continue: Direct fighting between U.S. and Iranian forces has eased in recent weeks, but Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have stepped up attacks on Saudi Arabia. Col. Turki Al-Maliki, spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition, said forces "intercepted and destroyed" two Houthi drones headed for Riyadh and two ballistic missiles aimed at the Khamis Mushait region near Abha, CNBC reported.

Why it matters: The war has sharply restricted Gulf energy exports. Hopes for a deal pushed crude down this week: Brent settled Friday at $104.32 a barrel, down 2.1% on the day, and U.S. crude fell 7.9% for the week to $92.41. Both benchmarks are still up more than 60% this year, CNBC said. Rejecting the plan and talking about renewed strikes risk undoing that relief, while Trump has said publicly he expects the war to end soon after the midterms and oil prices to fall.

Uncertainty: It is not clear whether Trump rejected the plan outright or only its current conditions, or whether a counteroffer is being prepared. The account of renewed bombing comes from unnamed officials, and Iran has not given a formal response to Trump's remarks.

What's next: Watch for any written U.S. reply through Qatar, whether Tehran revises its conditions, oil's reaction when markets reopen Monday, and whether Houthi strikes on Saudi Arabia escalate.

Method note: US Brief digests are AI-assisted from the US Brief desk. We synthesize reputable reporting with cited sources; we do not invent quotes, figures, or forecasts.

Follow US Brief: Bluesky · X · RSS

Full interactive version requires JavaScript. https://us-brief.com/article/world-iran-hormuz-plan-rejected

National & world Daily briefing

Subject briefs,
national scope.

Pick a subject and get a lean, dated briefing—US News, Politics, Technology, World, or Finance. AI-assisted digests from the US Brief desk with sources.

Back to World briefing World

Trump rejects Iran's seven-day plan to reopen Hormuz; WSJ says he expects renewed bombing after midterms

President Trump said Saturday he rejected Iran's offer to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and restart nuclear talks within seven days if the U.S. met its conditions. The Wall Street Journal, citing U.S. officials, reported that he has told aides renewed bombing after the November midterms is likely. Talks through mediators continue.

By US Brief desk · Updated 2026-09-26T16:10:00-07:00

AI-assisted digests from the US Brief desk. Synthesizes reputable reporting with cited sources; not a wire service. Corrections welcomed.

Abbas Araghchi, then Iran's deputy foreign minister (right), meets IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi in Vienna in May 2021 (file photo)

President Donald Trump said Saturday that he had turned down Iran's latest proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the latest setback in the search for a way out of a war that began Feb. 28 with U.S. and Israeli airstrikes. "They made a proposal but I rejected it," Trump told reporters, according to CNBC.

The offer: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Friday on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York that the strait could reopen and nuclear talks resume within seven days if Washington met Tehran's conditions. "If certain conditions are met, the Strait of Hormuz will be open at the end of seven days, and talks will be restarted," he said. Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said this week those conditions include halting what Tehran calls U.S. "acts of aggression," ending the naval blockade and economic warfare, and releasing Iranian assets. Reuters reported the roadmap was passed through Qatari mediators.

Like US Brief? You can support it with a tip.