US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he expects more talks with Iran to occur this week, even as he publicly rejected Tehran's latest proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz as "unacceptable."
Speaking to Axios, Trump said of the Iranian side: "They want to make a deal, but it is not the deal that I want to make. It is what we would have maybe agreed to a year ago. They overplayed their hand."
Araghchi awaits "definitive" US response
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran is still waiting for a "definitive" American response to its latest proposal, saying nothing has been conveyed to Iran through mediators so far. Under the plan, Iran would open the critical waterway within a week and resume nuclear talks if the US met certain conditions, including lifting a naval blockade and waiving sanctions on oil.
Araghchi said Tehran's conditions were "nothing more" than what was included in the US-Iran memorandum of understanding signed in June, which collapsed shortly after amid renewed fighting. "If the necessary conditions are met, the strait can be reopened, a normal maritime passage restored within seven days. The choice now rests with the United States," he told reporters during a visit to New York for the UN General Assembly.
US side cites trust deficit
US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz told CNN's Jake Tapper on Sunday that Trump rejected the proposal because he does not believe Iran was negotiating in good faith, arguing that Iran was "asking for everything up front." Appearing on NBC's "Meet the Press," Waltz called the proposal "a pretty cynical attempt to put something on the table that they knew was unacceptable."
Waltz also raised the question of who can truly speak for Iran at the negotiating table: "We have to know number one that people coming to the table can actually speak for the Ayatollah… Who's calling the shots in Iran right now? Is it the IRGC? Is it the president? Is it the foreign minister?"
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio struck a similar tone earlier in the week, saying any deal would involve "a lot of hard work over a period of time."
Tensions simmer beyond the table
Separately, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing US officials, that Trump told staff a renewed bombing campaign against Iran is likely after the upcoming midterm elections — a report the White House has not commented on. Iran's army spokesperson, Mohammad Akraminia, said Sunday that the US could launch a renewed attack on Iran due to its "bad regional situation," adding that Tehran is prepared for any confrontation, according to Reuters.
In his UNGA speech, Trump had framed the choice bluntly: "I have a big decision to make — will a deal be made with Iran that lets them rebuild and create a far greater country than it ever was before? Or do I annihilate the Islamic Republic and do it quickly?"
Meanwhile, fresh strikes were reported in Yemen on Sunday, as fighting between the Iran-backed Houthi militant group and Saudi-backed factions flares. A strike on a market in Yemen's Taiz province killed at least seven people and injured dozens more, including children, according to the Houthi group's Ministry of Health. Yemen's internationally recognized government, backed by Saudi forces, said it was targeting a Houthi military camp, Reuters reported.
Sources: https://www.cnn.com/2026/09/26/midd...-hormuz-intl?cid=external-feeds_iluminar_meta
Speaking to Axios, Trump said of the Iranian side: "They want to make a deal, but it is not the deal that I want to make. It is what we would have maybe agreed to a year ago. They overplayed their hand."
Araghchi awaits "definitive" US response
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran is still waiting for a "definitive" American response to its latest proposal, saying nothing has been conveyed to Iran through mediators so far. Under the plan, Iran would open the critical waterway within a week and resume nuclear talks if the US met certain conditions, including lifting a naval blockade and waiving sanctions on oil.
Araghchi said Tehran's conditions were "nothing more" than what was included in the US-Iran memorandum of understanding signed in June, which collapsed shortly after amid renewed fighting. "If the necessary conditions are met, the strait can be reopened, a normal maritime passage restored within seven days. The choice now rests with the United States," he told reporters during a visit to New York for the UN General Assembly.
US side cites trust deficit
US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz told CNN's Jake Tapper on Sunday that Trump rejected the proposal because he does not believe Iran was negotiating in good faith, arguing that Iran was "asking for everything up front." Appearing on NBC's "Meet the Press," Waltz called the proposal "a pretty cynical attempt to put something on the table that they knew was unacceptable."
Waltz also raised the question of who can truly speak for Iran at the negotiating table: "We have to know number one that people coming to the table can actually speak for the Ayatollah… Who's calling the shots in Iran right now? Is it the IRGC? Is it the president? Is it the foreign minister?"
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio struck a similar tone earlier in the week, saying any deal would involve "a lot of hard work over a period of time."
Tensions simmer beyond the table
Separately, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing US officials, that Trump told staff a renewed bombing campaign against Iran is likely after the upcoming midterm elections — a report the White House has not commented on. Iran's army spokesperson, Mohammad Akraminia, said Sunday that the US could launch a renewed attack on Iran due to its "bad regional situation," adding that Tehran is prepared for any confrontation, according to Reuters.
In his UNGA speech, Trump had framed the choice bluntly: "I have a big decision to make — will a deal be made with Iran that lets them rebuild and create a far greater country than it ever was before? Or do I annihilate the Islamic Republic and do it quickly?"
Meanwhile, fresh strikes were reported in Yemen on Sunday, as fighting between the Iran-backed Houthi militant group and Saudi-backed factions flares. A strike on a market in Yemen's Taiz province killed at least seven people and injured dozens more, including children, according to the Houthi group's Ministry of Health. Yemen's internationally recognized government, backed by Saudi forces, said it was targeting a Houthi military camp, Reuters reported.
Sources: https://www.cnn.com/2026/09/26/midd...-hormuz-intl?cid=external-feeds_iluminar_meta