By Bosphorus News Geopolitics Desk
US President Donald Trump posted a map labeling the Strait of Hormuz "Trump Strait" on September 26, hours after Iran pressed Washington for an answer to its seven-day plan to reopen the waterway and halt hostilities.
The Wall Street Journal reported, citing unnamed US officials, that Trump had rejected the proposal and told aides he considered renewed US bombing of Iran likely after the November midterm elections. Reuters said it could not independently confirm the Journal report. No rejection or new bombing plan had been announced publicly by the White House.
A US official said September 25 that discussions through mediators were "positive and constructive" and that nuclear issues remained under discussion.
Trump's map contained no message accepting or rejecting Tehran's proposal. The Associated Press described the post as his first public indication after Iran presented the new plan.
Iran Puts Seven Days on the Table
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told reporters at the United Nations on September 25 that Tehran had given Washington a "concrete" seven-day plan through mediators.
Araghchi said normal maritime passage through Hormuz could be restored within seven days if the United States took the required steps. He linked those steps to commitments contained in the memorandum of understanding reached by Iran and the United States in June.
Under the proposal, hostilities would stop on all fronts, including Lebanon. Washington would lift its blockade on Iranian ports, release frozen Iranian funds and waive oil sanctions. Wider negotiations could follow if the United States accepted the package.
Araghchi said the seven-day clock would begin only after US acceptance. Iran was still waiting for an answer on September 26.
Iran and Oman had already been discussing a safe shipping route through the strait before Araghchi presented the seven-day plan.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei told the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) that the talks were being conducted bilaterally between the two coastal states. He said an agreement with Oman was needed for a safe-passage arrangement through Hormuz but would not settle Iran's dispute with Washington.
Baqaei said US commitments would be dealt with separately and that little could change in Hormuz while the American naval blockade and military pressure continued. He identified Pakistan as the main mediator between Tehran and Washington, with Qatar assisting when needed.
Washington Says It Already Controls Hormuz
On August 28, the White House issued a release titled "President Trump Was Right: America Controls the Strait of Hormuz."
It said US forces had cleared Iranian mines from international shipping lanes and escorted nearly 1,500 commercial vessels carrying 750 million barrels of crude. The administration also said Iran had exported no oil from its shores since the US blockade resumed in July. Those figures are the White House's account of operations in the strait.
The same release compiled a series of Trump statements asserting US control. On August 27, he said the strait was open, the United States controlled it and the blockade remained in force.
Trump proposed calling the waterway "Trump Strait" in early September. His September 26 post put the name directly on a map.
No presidential action formally renaming the Strait of Hormuz appeared in the White House's published actions as of September 26.
Iran rejects Washington's description of the situation. Baqaei said the Iran-Oman arrangement remained necessary for safe traffic and tied any broader reopening to US action on the blockade and military operations.
According to the Journal's unnamed US sources, Trump has privately rejected Iran's latest package and views another bombing campaign after the midterm elections as likely. Reuters said it could not independently verify the report.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has kept negotiations open while questioning Washington's reliability. In his meeting with UN Secretary-General António Guterres, the Iranian presidency said Pezeshkian told him Iran had not left the negotiating table but no longer trusted the United States because of previous experience.
A senior Iranian official told Reuters anonymously that Tehran would not surrender what it considers its right to enrich uranium or agree to send its highly enriched uranium abroad, even if Washington accepted the Hormuz proposal. Reuters attributed the position to an unnamed senior Iranian official, not to an on-record statement by Pezeshkian or Araghchi.
Araghchi said the seven-day clock starts only after US acceptance. The White House has issued no public response; Trump's first public signal after the proposal was a map labeled "Trump Strait."
Sources: White House, Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), Iranian Presidency, Donald Trump's Truth Social, Reuters, Associated Press, Wall Street Journal, Bosphorus News review and reporting.