President Donald Trump said Saturday he rejected the latest proposal Iran conveyed to the United States during indirect talks in New York this week, as regional mediators press to keep the two sides at the table nearly seven months into the war.
“They have made a proposal and I rejected it,” Trump told reporters. A U.S. official said discussions between American and Iranian negotiators, carried out through mediators, remain “positive and constructive,” including on the nuclear issues at the center of the standoff.
Where Iran and the U.S. Are Stuck
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi laid out Tehran’s conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz and resuming nuclear negotiations during a new round of indirect talks with U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. Qatari officials passed messages between the two delegations, according to sources with direct knowledge of the talks.
Iran offered to reopen the strait and return to nuclear negotiations within a week if the U.S. lifts its naval blockade, removes sanctions on Iranian oil sales and reinstates a regional ceasefire. U.S. negotiators told the Iranians on Tuesday that Iran does not control the strait and has no standing to negotiate its status, a source familiar with the talks said.
Dozens of oil tankers continue transiting the strait daily under U.S. protection, carrying millions of barrels to global markets, though volumes remain well below pre-war levels. U.S. officials said roughly 60 million barrels moved through the strait over the past 72 hours.
When Will Iran and the U.S. Meet Again?
This week’s meeting in New York was the first contact between U.S. and Iranian officials since mid-June. Trump has said he expects a deal after the midterm elections, telling the UN General Assembly he faces a choice between an agreement or “annihilating the Islamic Republic,” and that the U.S. will “get it done one way or another.”
Qatar and other regional mediators are continuing to work toward reviving formal negotiations, but officials on both sides acknowledge the gaps on core issues remain wide. No new round of talks has been scheduled.
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