US-Iran War: Trump Rejects Tehran’s Ceasefire Proposal, Says They’re ‘Losing Hard’; Iran supports diplomacy | Top updates | Today’s news
A glimmer of hope for an end to the ongoing war between the US and Iran is fading fast after US President Donald Trump rejected Tehran’s proposal for a seven-day ceasefire that would pave the way for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway that has been effectively closed since the war began in late February.
The US president’s latest refusal now raises new uncertainty about diplomatic efforts to end the conflict, despite Tehran insisting that only a diplomatic solution can break the deadlock.
Here are the main updates on the US-Iran war:
- On Saturday (local time), Trump told reporters before leaving the White House that he rejected Iran’s proposal for a seven-day ceasefire that would help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, provided Washington accepts Tehran’s demands, including an end to the naval blockade of Iranian ports and the release of some Iranian assets. Trump rejected the proposal, saying, “They made a proposal, but I rejected it,” adding, “They want to make a deal where they open the strait immediately because they’re losing so badly.” The US president’s comments came after The Wall Street Journal, citing US officials, said Trump rejected the proposal and expects to resume bombing after the US mid-term elections, scheduled for November 3.
2. After Trump’s rejection, Tehran insisted on Sunday (local time) that diplomacy was the only way to end the stalemate between the two countries. In a post on social media, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote: “Our conditions are clear and any move towards reopening the Strait of Hormuz depends on meeting these conditions,” adding: “Only a negotiated solution can get them out of this stalemate.”
3. Despite Trump’s public rejection, however, the mediators facilitating the US-Iran peace talks have yet to officially announce confirmation of the rejection of the plan, Araghchi said. In a post on Telegram, he added: “We are waiting for the mediators to give us their final opinions and we will make a decision based on them.”
4. Earlier this week, Tehran announced a seven-day ceasefire proposal at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, saying it had been passed to the Americans through Qatari intermediaries. At the United Nations, Araghchi told reporters on Friday that the proposed deal would start a seven-day countdown to reopening the Strait of Hormuz and suspending regional fighting. Iran’s foreign minister noted: “If there is seriousness on the American side to reach an agreement and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, everything is now ready.” He added that if Washington agreed, the two sides could resume broader talks “on mutually agreed topics.”
5. On Saturday (local time), US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent declared success in the economic isolation of Tehran. In a post on X, Bessent said he had sent a team of emissaries around the world to pressure countries to isolate Iran, while praising new sanctions targeting Iranian airlines and banks. Bessent added that both Turkey and Oman have agreed to suspend flights from one of Iran’s private carriers, Mahan Air, while the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has suspended all incoming flights by Iranian airlines. The US Treasury Secretary also welcomed the latest banking restrictions. The Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday suspended transactions involving branches of Iran’s Melli Bank in the country, citing alleged violations of laws related to money laundering, terrorist financing and arms proliferation.
But it remains to be seen whether Iran will resume fighting or whether mediators will be able to convince the US to agree to a cease-fire.
