Trump Rejects Iran’s Proposal to Reopen the Strait of Hormuz

President Donald Trump confirmed today (Shabbat) that he rejected Iran’s proposal for a seven-day ceasefire. According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, U.S. officials said the president told his aides that he expects to resume bombing Iran after the November midterm elections.

“Iran wants deals, and I like making deals too, but Iran’s proposal is unacceptable,” Trump told reporters at the White House before departing for Tennessee. Referring to Tehran’s economic situation, he added: “They’re dying. And you know why they’re dying? Because no money is coming in.”

According to Trump, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz ultimately hurt Iran itself: “After all, they get their money from the Strait of Hormuz. So they tried to be clever and ended up losing. They said, ‘Let’s close it and create a problem for the whole world.’”

Trump also addressed the American blockade: “I came in, and we imposed the greatest blockade in military history. It’s a steel wall.” He later added: “I imposed this blockade, and guess what? Now they have no money, because they wanted to close the strait, and I said: ‘Fine. We’ll close it to you. But everyone else will be able to use it.”

Despite the current position, U.S. officials stressed that it could change in the coming weeks depending on developments in the war, and that the results of the midterm elections could also affect what comes next.