Iran is not bending. A day after Donald Trump declared he was rejecting Tehran's seven-day plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Sunday the Islamic Republic will not soften its conditions and is still waiting for an official American answer through mediators.
Tehran is aware of Trump's remarks but has received nothing from mediators Qatar and Pakistan, Araghchi said via state broadcaster IRIB late Saturday. "We are waiting for the mediators to convey the definitive views to us, and we will make a decision based on them," he added in a post on X on Sunday morning, Bloomberg reported.
Related reading: Iran awaits US answer as oil braces for Sunday reopen at $104.37; China and US agree $30B tariff cut plus AI dialogue as Xi visit ends.
Only negotiation, but no retreat
Araghchi paired defiance with an open door. "Our conditions are clear, and any move toward reopening the Strait of Hormuz is contingent on these conditions being met," he posted. "Only a negotiated solution can get them out of this deadlock." The terms on the table: fighting stopped, the US naval blockade lifted, oil sanctions waived and frozen funds released, in exchange for a seven-day reopening.
Trump's Saturday verdict was blunt: "I'm rejecting their deal. They want to make a deal where they open the strait immediately because they're losing so badly," he said, claiming "total control" of the waterway and 29 ships crossing in a day.
Armed forces warn of a "slap"
Iran's military raised the temperature further. "Americans dream of interfering in the Strait of Hormuz, and if they interfere in the Strait of Hormuz, they will be slapped," armed forces spokesperson Abolfazl Shekarchi said, according to Tasnim News Agency, The Independent reported.
President Masoud Pezeshkian, meanwhile, declared that Iran no longer trusts dialogue with the United States, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported. The White House has not formally responded to the plan beyond Trump's remarks.
Oil reopens tonight
Brent settled Friday at $104.37 a barrel, against about $70 before the war began in late February. Thin Sunday after-hours trading turned higher again after the rejection headlines, with Brent pushing back above the $100 mark and gains topping 2 percent while NYMEX crude neared $96, BigGo Finance reported, citing CCTV.
The full reopen lands tonight. With Tehran refusing to soften terms and Washington's official word still traveling through Doha and Islamabad, the open will trade headlines before it trades barrels.
What to watch
- The mediators: Qatar and Pakistan carry the definitive US position; nothing is final until they deliver it
- Tonight's open: Brent at $104.37 with rejection risk now priced in; any mediator headline gaps it either way
- Traffic counts: Trump's 29-ships claim vs independent tanker tracking through the strait
- The blockade: Washington's naval posture is now Tehran's central grievance and the deal's hardest term