Trump confirmed the rejection on Saturday as he left the White House. "I'm rejecting their deal," he said. "They want to make a deal where they open the strait immediately ... we're winning tremendously. We have total control of the Hormuz Strait ... that deal would not be acceptable." The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump has told aides he expects to resume bombing Iran after the November midterm elections and is skeptical Tehran would meet his demands. The rejected plan called for a seven-day halt to regional hostilities, the release of at least $12 billion in frozen Iranian assets, lifting sanctions on Iranian oil and an end to the US naval blockade, with Iran reopening Hormuz on the seventh day and then restarting nuclear talks.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran has seen Trump's initial reaction but is still awaiting Washington's definitive response through mediators, insisting a negotiated solution is the only way to end the deadlock. Iranian political analyst Hamidreza Azizi said the rejection strengthens those in Tehran who argue Iran can only reach a deal from a stronger position, and that he would not be surprised to see further Iranian escalation in the strait before the midterms.