President Trump rejected Iran's seven-day proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and restart nuclear talks, as mediators await a definitive US response and reports suggest renewed strikes after the midterms.

US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he had rejected an Iranian proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within a week and resume nuclear talks, dimming the most serious diplomatic opening of the seven-month war.

"They made a proposal but I reject it," Trump told reporters at the White House. He argued that desperation, not goodwill, was driving Tehran's push. "They want to make a deal to open the Hormuz Strait immediately because they're losing so badly," he said.

What Iran proposed

Iran unveiled the plan at the UN General Assembly in New York this week and said it had been relayed to Washington through Qatari mediators. Under the terms described by Iranian officials, the deal would trigger a seven-day countdown:

• The initial steps would take about four to five days.
• The strait would be reopened on the sixth day.
• Talks on Iran's nuclear program would begin on the seventh day.

In exchange, Iran demanded that the US lift its naval blockade of Iranian ports, permit the release of some frozen Iranian assets, restore the sanctions waiver on Iranian oil exports, and observe a "ceasefire on all fronts" — a demand that would require Washington to persuade Israel to halt its attacks on Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The proposal would also have allowed UN nuclear inspectors back in to examine Iran's damaged sites and inspect its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, according to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

A deal Trump is said to be postponing, not abandoning

The Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed US officials, first reported the rejection. According to that reporting, Trump is privately skeptical that Iran will ever meet his demands to dismantle its nuclear program, and has told aides he expects to resume bombing Iran after the November midterm elections.

On Friday evening, Trump posted a graphic on Truth Social showing a map on which the Strait of Hormuz was renamed the "Trump Strait."

Despite the public rejection, the diplomatic channel is not formally closed. Araghchi said late on Saturday that Tehran had seen an initial reaction from Trump but had yet to receive a definitive response through mediators.

"We are waiting for the mediators to convey the definitive views to us, and we will make a decision based on them," Araghchi posted on social media. "Our conditions are clear, and any move toward reopening the Strait of Hormuz is contingent on these conditions being met. Only a negotiated solution can get them out of this deadlock."

Earlier, a US official had described the mediated discussions as "positive and constructive."

Nuclear terms remain the core obstacle

Trump has said Tehran must never acquire a nuclear bomb. A senior Iranian official told Reuters that Iran would show no flexibility over its nuclear program even if the US accepted the peace deal, and would grant no concessions on enriching uranium or shipping its highly enriched uranium out of the country.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, speaking to CBS's "Face the Nation," said Tehran was ready for talks but would not accept "bullying or coercion."

"Iran is not seeking war, but will defend itself against pressure, threats and attacks," he said, adding that Iran had already agreed it was "not supposed to develop nuclear weapons." After meeting UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Pezeshkian said: "Iran has not walked away from the negotiating table, but given past experiences, it no longer trusts the United States."

Regional and economic stakes

The conflict began on February 28 with US and Israeli attacks. It has alternated between pauses and renewed strikes, killing thousands, degrading Iran's conventional forces, and damaging its already ailing economy.

Iran and its allies have widened the war. Iran has struck US allies in the Gulf with drones and missiles, while its Houthi allies in Yemen have targeted Saudi interests. Yemen's Saudi-led coalition said early on Saturday it intercepted two ballistic missiles and two drones launched by the Houthis toward the kingdom. A pipeline attack blamed on Iranian-aligned militias in Iraq temporarily took more Saudi oil off the market.

The violence has also stoked a humanitarian crisis in Yemen, where the UN children's agency reported a rise in acute malnutrition among children.

The US naval blockade and Iranian attacks on shipping have sharply reduced traffic through the strait, a chokepoint for roughly a fifth of global oil trade, pushing up energy costs worldwide. Saudi Arabia is said to be concerned that the proposed routing deal is bilateral between Iran and Oman rather than signed jointly with Gulf states.

What happens next

Officials on both sides have left room for talks to continue, but the practical picture is uncertain. Iran says it is waiting for a definitive US answer through mediators. Trump has said publicly he is in no rush to reach a deal, even as high oil prices fuel inflation — and, according to US officials cited by the Wall Street Journal, is preparing for renewed strikes once the midterms are over.

On the Iranian side, it remains unclear whether the hardliners who dominate the security forces would accept the compromises championed by moderates like Pezeshkian. Previous rounds of diplomacy have failed.