Tehran says it will await formal US reply after Trump dismisses Hormuz reopening plan

Iran has said it will hold off on any further move until it receives an official answer from US negotiators, following President Donald Trump's rejection of a Tehran proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping within seven days. The exchange, reported by BBC News correspondent Brandon Livesay, underlines how far apart the two governments remain on ending a conflict that has effectively shut one of the world's most important energy routes. The strait itself is the stakes at the centre of the dispute. The waterway through which roughly a fifth of the world's oil and gas supply normally passes has been effectively closed since war broke out in February, disrupting a channel that is central to global energy markets and to the economics of several importing states. Iran's campaign of attacks on vessels in the passage is precisely what the US administration says its sanctions campaign is designed to stop. Trump addressed reporters at the White House, where he said Tehran's offer was not "acceptable" and claimed the Iranian side wanted the strait opened immediately because, in his words, "they're losing so badly". Later on Saturday he was more blunt: "I'm rejecting their deal." He also argued the United States already has "total control" of the waterway, insisting that "massive amounts of oil" is passing through it — a claim sitting uneasily alongside widespread reports that commercial transit has been largely halted. Responding on Telegram, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Trump "has made many good statements, as well as many contradictory ones, which unfortunately we hear frequently", a clear signal that Tehran sees the American position as unstable rather than settled. Araghchi said Iran is "waiting for the mediators to convey the definitive views to us, and we will make a decision based on them" — wording that keeps a diplomatic channel open while refusing to concede that the US position is final. The Iranian foreign minister had already pointed to a possible route out on Friday, when speaking at the United Nations he said an agreement could be reached if "necessary conditions are met" between the two countries. Crucially, he tied those conditions to the memorandum of understanding signed between Washington and Tehran in June, suggesting Tehran considers an existing framework the reference point rather than anything newly invented. That proposal was raised during negotiations on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York this past week, where Iran pressed for both the reopening of the strait and an end to hostilities. The diplomatic contretemps has therefore unfolded at the highest political level, with meetings happening in parallel with leaders' speeches to the General Assembly. Part of the gap between the two positions appears to be one of sequencing. Tehran's offer contemplated the strait reopening within about a week; Trump said the deal was unacceptable because Iran wanted it reopened straight away. Whether that reflects a difference over timing, conditions or the broader settlement package is not spelled out, but it leaves each side accusing the other of moving the goalposts. Oman has been acting as mediator between the US and Iran, and it used the General Debate to press for continued dialogue. Oman's foreign minister, Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Albusaidi, told the assembly that "all parties" should cooperate with efforts to safeguard navigation in the strategic waterway — a call that pointedly includes all sides rather than apportioning blame. Washington's rejection was publicly backed by the US ambassador to Nato, Matthew Whitaker. Speaking to Fox News on Saturday, he said Iran had offered "half measures" and "illusory deals to make themselves look good on the world stage", adding that it was "President Trump's right to reject it". His framing cast the Iranian overture as a communications exercise rather than a serious proposal. The Trump administration has been pursuing a parallel line of economic pressure. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Saturday that US pressure is taking a toll on Tehran, posting on X that Turkey, Oman and the United Arab Emirates had halted flights from various Iranian airlines and that some banks in the UAE and Turkey had stopped transactions with Iran — a cut-off of air links and financial channels that would tighten the noose considerably if sustained. This campaign has been branded "Operation Economic Outcast", an official label for what officials describe as an economic blockade on Iran. The stated aim is to use sanctions to force Tehran to halt its attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Some economists have questioned whether the latest sanctions will actually bite, noting that their effectiveness depends on how Iran's major trading partners respond. Among them is China, the largest purchaser of Iranian oil, which has previously ignored US sanctions and continued doing business with Tehran — a gap in the enforcement net that could blunt the pressure strategy. The confrontation sits within a wider deterioration in relations. Trump threatened to "annihilate" Iran in a UN speech as officials from both countries met on the sidelines, Iran's president has told Trump the country will never "bend the knee", and the UK has warned Tehran it will not tolerate "hostile activity" on British soil. For now, both sides are holding positions in public while working through intermediaries. What happens next depends on whether Oman can convey a definitive US position to Tehran, whether Iran's conditions — anchored to the June memorandum — survive as the basis for talks, and whether the strait reopens to commercial traffic. With about a fifth of global oil and gas normally transiting the waterway, the answer will be felt well beyond Washington and Tehran.