Iran says diplomacy remains the only solution to its conflict with the United States and Israel, as Trump rejects Tehran’s proposal but signals further negotiations this week.
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Iran has renewed its call for a diplomatic solution to the war with the United States and Israel after President Donald Trump rejected Tehran’s peace proposal aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz and ending months of fighting.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Sunday that reopening the strategic waterway would depend on Washington meeting Tehran’s conditions. However, he maintained that negotiations remained the only realistic way to resolve the conflict.
The latest diplomatic disagreement comes as the war continues to disrupt global oil supplies, threaten shipping routes and draw more Middle Eastern countries into the fighting.
Trump rejects Iranian proposal but expects further talks
Iran presented its peace proposal during last week’s United Nations General Assembly in New York and communicated it to Washington through Qatari mediators.
Trump rejected the proposal Saturday, claiming Iran was seeking an agreement because it was suffering significant military losses.
However, the US president subsequently indicated that American negotiators could hold further discussions with Iranian representatives this week, leaving open the possibility of renewed diplomatic engagement.
Araqchi said Tehran had not yet received an official rejection through the mediators and would wait for Washington’s formal response before deciding its next steps.
The Iranian proposal would establish a seven-day countdown to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and a pause in regional hostilities. If accepted, the arrangement could lead to broader negotiations on issues agreed upon by both sides, potentially including Iran’s nuclear program.
Strait of Hormuz remains central to negotiations
The Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important oil shipping routes, has become a central issue in the conflict.
Iranian attacks on commercial vessels and a US economic blockade have severely disrupted maritime traffic, raising concerns about energy supplies and the global economy.
Iranian army commander Amir Hatam warned that Tehran would not accept restrictions on its own trade while other countries continued using the region’s strategic waterways.
Washington, meanwhile, maintains that Iran must stop threatening regional shipping and address concerns about its nuclear program before major concessions can be considered.
US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said Trump rejected Tehran’s proposal because it demanded the immediate removal of sanctions and the release of frozen Iranian assets before substantive negotiations.
Waltz said the US administration remained unconvinced that Iran was prepared to negotiate in good faith.
The conflict, which began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, has increasingly affected neighboring countries, including Saudi Arabia.
Iranian drones and missiles have targeted US allies in the Gulf, while the Iran-backed Houthi movement in Yemen has launched attacks against Saudi interests.
In Riyadh, parents received notices Sunday that schools would move to remote learning for the week. The notices did not explain the decision, and Saudi authorities had not immediately commented.
Meanwhile, Houthi health authorities in Yemen reported that seven people were killed and 40 others wounded, including children, in a strike on a market in Taiz province.
Yemen’s internationally recognized government said its forces had targeted a Houthi military camp and vehicles at the same location. The conflicting accounts could not be independently verified.
Iran says it is ready for nuclear negotiations
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran remained prepared to negotiate over its nuclear program and other outstanding issues but would not accept coercion or military threats.
He maintained that Iran was not seeking war and reiterated Tehran’s position that it did not intend to develop nuclear weapons.
The US administration has identified preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons as a central objective of its military campaign, alongside ending Iranian attacks on neighboring countries.
Despite disagreements over sanctions, frozen assets, and nuclear restrictions, both governments have indicated that diplomatic engagement remains possible.
The next round of discussions, if held, could determine whether the two countries can reach an agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and reduce regional hostilities.
