Donald Trump slammed Iran’s seven‑day Hormuz reopening proposal at the White House, saying the U.S. would not accept a deal that would immediately open the strait because "they’re losing so badly"—a blunt comment that left diplomats scrambling for the next move.
Iran’s offer, drafted in coordination with Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, hinges on a full halt to hostilities in Lebanon, Yemen and Syria, the release of frozen Iranian assets, and the lifting of U.S. oil sanctions. President Masoud Pezeshkian told CBS News the conditions mirror a memorandum signed last June, promising a reopening of the waterway on the seventh day of the truce.
The White House responded with a viral map on Trump’s Truth Social account, labeling the Strait of Hormuz as the "Trump Strait" and hinting at a renewed bombing campaign in Iranian coastal regions. Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, met with Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi earlier in the week; Araghchi reiterated that Tehran would not surrender its sovereign rights under pressure.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards spokesman Hossein Mohebi warned that the country would keep striking U.S. assets until all seven conditions were met, citing recent attacks on commercial vessels that deviated from the approved route. The U.S. blockade, which has been in place since 2023, remains a point of contention amid rising global oil prices.
Washington is slated to convene a National Security Council meeting next Tuesday to decide whether to impose a new sanctions package on Tehran, a move that could tighten the economic squeeze on Iran while keeping the Strait of Hormuz closed to international shipping.