President Donald Trump claimed Iran had badly miscalculated by shutting the Strait of Hormuz, arguing that the country had effectively placed itself behind what he described as an American “wall of steel.”
Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Trump said Tehran was now eager to reopen the strategically important waterway because it was “losing so badly.” He also confirmed that he had turned down Iran’s latest ceasefire proposal.
Iran’s offer reportedly included reopening the strait and returning to nuclear negotiations, provided the United States agreed to several concessions, including an end to its naval blockade of Iranian ports.
Trump dismissed the proposal as “unacceptable,” saying Iran was seeking an agreement because it was “dying” and had little or no money flowing into the country.
The president described the US operation as the “greatest blockade ever in military history” and said Iran wanted the Strait of Hormuz reopened immediately because the pressure was causing severe losses.
Trump further declared that the United States was “winning tremendously” and had “total control” of the Strait of Hormuz. Before the conflict, the passage carried roughly one-fifth of the world’s daily oil shipments.
“They get their money from the Hormuz Strait, so they outsmarted themselves,” Trump said, arguing that Iran’s decision to close the route had damaged its own economic interests.
According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, Trump told aides he expected US airstrikes against Iran to continue after November’s midterm elections.
President Donald Trump said Iran was “dying” and wanted the Strait of Hormuz reopened immediately after, in his words, “outsmarting themselves.”
Iran’s proposed temporary ceasefire reportedly included a plan to reopen the strait after a seven-day process.
Trump also said that 29 ships passed through the strait on Friday night, carrying what he called “massive amounts of oil.”
“They don’t have any money now because they wanted to close the strait,” Trump said. He added that the US response had been to block Iran while allowing other nations to continue using the vital shipping route.
The president had already mocked Tehran on Truth Social the previous night, shortly after reports emerged that the ceasefire proposal had been rejected.
In the post, Trump shared an image referring to the “Trump Strait,” echoing his earlier use of executive orders to rename the Gulf of America and Lake America. He has not officially changed the name of the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Friday that the initial stages of the proposed agreement would take approximately four to five days, according to the Associated Press.
Under the reported framework, the Strait of Hormuz would reopen on the sixth day, with negotiations between Iran and the United States restarting on the seventh and final day.
During an address to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, Trump warned that he could “annihilate” Iran if no agreement was reached to bring the nearly seven-month conflict to an end.
Trump raised the possibility of a deal that would allow Iran to rebuild and become a stronger nation, potentially ranking among the most powerful countries in the Middle East or even the world.
But he also presented a far more severe alternative, asking whether he should destroy the Islamic Republic quickly before it could again “kill and destroy people and countries.”
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Trump also said the US was winning the Iran war ‘tremendously’ and had ‘total control’ over Hormuz
The President taunted Iran on Friday night as he posted a picture of the ‘Trump Strait’ on Truth Social
Trump also said he believed a deal would be found ‘right after the election because it doesn’t make sense for them not to.’
‘They’re waiting to see how I do in the midterm election,’ Trump added. ‘What they don’t realize is that I’m not running.’
Crude prices around the world have gone up over disruptions on the strait caused by the Iran war.
That has made gasoline more expensive for Americans, which has been brought into focus ahead of the midterms.
About 61 percent of voters say that gas prices are a major concern, per a Fox News poll published on September 16.
Araghchi had said an agreement ‘would be much better if it is done before the midterm election,’ according to CNBC.
He added that it depended on ‘the US administration to decide’ and claimed Iran was ‘not in a hurry.’
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told the UN that ‘it cannot be the case that everyone benefits from the Strait of Hormuz while we are denied access to shipping’
US special peace mission envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff met with an Iranian delegation on Tuesday
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian left New York for Tehran after attending the UN gathering, the Iranian state sponsored news agency MNA reported early Saturday.
Pezeshkian told the UN General Assembly that ‘the resistance of the Iranian people will only increase in the face of sanctions, increased pressure, increased bullying.’ per the BBC.
The Iranian president also discussed the US blockade on the strait while speaking at the UN.
‘It cannot be the case that everyone benefits from the Strait of Hormuz while we are denied access to shipping through this waterway,’ he said, according to the outlet.
The war in Iran started on February 28 after joint US-Israeli strikes that killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other members of his family.
US special peace mission envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met with an Iranian delegation in New York on Tuesday, according to Axios.
Witkoff said then on X that he hoped the conversations would ‘prove constructive and promising.’
Trump called the meeting ‘very productive’ and said that he thought there was ‘a lot of momentum for them to make a deal,’ the outlet reported.
Our News Outlet has reached out to the White House for comment.
