US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz said Washington rejected Iran’s proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz because Tehran demanded sweeping sanctions relief and access to billions in frozen assets before entering negotiations.
Waltz told CNN on Sunday that President Donald Trump doubted Tehran would genuinely negotiate an end to its disputed nuclear programme. Trump had called the proposal unacceptable and said the US naval blockade was cutting off Iran’s energy-export revenue.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran sent Washington a seven-day plan through Qatar, under which the strait would open at the end if the US accepted it. He said the proposal required the US to meet conditions first; The Wall Street Journal reported that lifting the naval blockade was among them. Since the war began in late February, Iranian threats and attacks have brought Hormuz shipping almost to a standstill; before the war, about one-fifth of global oil demand moved through the strait.
