Trump Rejects Iranian Plan to Reopen Strait of Hormuz
The president called an Iranian proposal to restore shipping "not acceptable," deepening a standoff that has disrupted the world's oil supply.
President Trump said on Saturday that he was rejecting an Iranian plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, deepening a standoff that has disrupted the world's oil supply for months.
Trump said the deal "would not be acceptable," speaking to reporters as he was departing the White House, without giving further explanation.
"I like making a deal too," he said. "But, I'm not — that deal would not be acceptable."
"They want to make a deal where they open the strait immediately because they're losing so badly," Trump added.
Iran made the proposal, which also called for resuming negotiations between the U.S. and Iran, at the United Nations General Assembly meetings in New York this week. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told reporters on Friday that Iran conveyed to the U.S. through Qatar a "concrete seven-day plan" to reopen the strait.
Iran initially closed the strait after the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28. The repeated closures have caused major disruptions to global oil markets.
The Iranian proposal is similar to a "memorandum of understanding" agreed upon by the U.S. and Iran back in June. That agreement — which gave Iran relief from a U.S. naval blockade and eased sanctions in return for Iran promising not to seek a nuclear weapon and reopening the strait — collapsed after disputes over vague wording. The U.S. and Iran resumed strikes soon after.
Reporting by NPR. Read the original report: Trump calls Iranian plan to reopen Strait of Hormuz not 'acceptable'.
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