US Dismisses Iran’s Offer to Reopen Strait of Hormuz as ‘Cynical’

The United States has dismissed Iran’s proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within seven days, with Washington describing the offer as a “cynical” attempt to secure concessions.

US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said on Sunday that Tehran’s proposal placed conditions on reopening the strategic waterway that Washington could not accept.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had announced the proposal during the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Under the plan, Iran said it could reopen the Strait of Hormuz and restore normal maritime passage within seven days if the United States met several conditions.

The conditions included lifting the US naval blockade of Iranian ports, easing sanctions on Iranian oil sales, releasing frozen Iranian assets and observing a ceasefire covering the wider region, including Lebanon and Yemen.

Waltz criticised the proposal, saying Iran was asking Washington to make major concessions before negotiations could resume.

He described the offer as an attempt to place demands on the table that Tehran knew would be unacceptable to the United States.

US President Donald Trump had already rejected the proposal on Saturday, saying Iran wanted an agreement that Washington would not accept.

Trump said Iran was seeking a deal to reopen the Strait because of the pressure it was facing, while maintaining that he remained open to negotiations if acceptable terms could be reached.

The Strait of Hormuz has become a central point of tension in the conflict between Washington and Tehran. The narrow waterway connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and is a major route for international energy shipments.

Iran has maintained that it is prepared to negotiate but has insisted that its conditions for reopening the waterway must be addressed.

Araghchi said Sunday that Tehran had not received a definitive response through the mediators handling communications between Iran and the United States.

He said Iran would consider Washington’s position once it was formally conveyed and maintained that Tehran would not abandon what it described as its rights.

The latest exchange comes after several rounds of indirect contacts involving US and Iranian officials and mediators, amid efforts to find a diplomatic path out of the prolonged conflict.

The rejection of Iran’s proposal leaves the Strait of Hormuz at the centre of continuing diplomatic and security tensions between the two countries.