Trump Rejects Iranian Proposal to Reopen Strait of Hormuz

President Donald Trump said on Saturday, September 26, 2026, that he had rejected an Iranian proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian officials had indicated shipping through the waterway could resume within about a week if a deal were finalized, in exchange for the US lifting its naval blockade of Iranian ports and resuming nuclear talks. Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said, "They made a proposal but I reject it," and separately stated Iran wanted to reopen the strait immediately because it was "losing so badly." The blockade and related military activity stem from a war between the US and Iran that began in February 2026. Trump did not rule out resuming military strikes on Iran, and he declined to say definitively whether such strikes would restart after the US midterm elections, according to reporting on his White House remarks. Iran's foreign minister responded by saying Tehran was still waiting for an official rejection of the proposal despite Trump's public comments, and reiterated that only negotiation could end the conflict. Separately, several people were arrested and a bomb disposal unit was deployed near an air base that has been used by US forces involved in operations against Iran since the war began; the connection, if any, between this incident and the strait negotiations was not established in available reporting. As of the latest reporting, the naval blockade of Iranian ports remains in place and the Strait of Hormuz has not reopened. It remains unresolved whether Trump's public rejection constitutes a final, official US response, as Iran's foreign ministry indicated it was awaiting formal confirmation. Whether the US will resume military strikes, and on what timeline relative to the midterm elections, also remains unconfirmed. Details surrounding the arrests and bomb disposal operation near the air base, including motive and outcome, were not fully reported.