Trump Calls Iran's Hormuz Offer 'Not Enough', Warns Strikes Could Resume
Trump Calls Iran’s Hormuz Offer ‘Not Enough’, Warns Strikes Could Resume
President Donald Trump has rejected Iran’s offer to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, calling it “simply not enough” in a Time Magazine interview that has sharply escalated the Trump Iran Hormuz confrontation. He warned that military action against Tehran could resume after the midterm elections and said lasting peace with Iran was unlikely.
The comments mark the latest hardening in the Trump Iran Hormuz standoff, as Tehran weighs a US response to its proposal to resurrect a collapsed mid-June ceasefire.
Trump Iran Hormuz: what the president said
Trump told Time he had seen “some aspects” of the Iranian proposal regarding the strait but deemed it insufficient. Asked why he had rejected it, he said: “Because things that I wouldn’t have approved a year ago I wouldn’t have today.”
On Tehran’s past threats to close the waterway, Trump said: “There was always a threat they had, and it worked for a little while. But we basically closed it on them. You know, they said we’re going to close. I said, ‘Well, if you close it, you’re going to have big trouble.’ We took it over.”
Responding to his earlier UN remarks about annihilating Iran, Trump said: “Yeah, I would do that. It’s possible.” Defending his self-styled title of “president of peace”, he argued: “Because by annihilating Iran, we’ve created peace in the world. With Iran, I don’t think you could ever have peace.” He added that bombings after the midterms remained possible: “We have a lot of weapons.”
Trump dismissed a Pentagon report citing munitions shortfalls from Operation Epic Fury in Iran as “mostly fake news”. He acknowledged some ammunition stocks were lower but said the US was “stocking up at levels we’ve never done before”. He told Time the US had destroyed Iran’s navy, air force and radar systems.
Iran stays open to dialogue, looks for land trade routes
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Thursday that Tehran would defend itself but remained open to dialogue, according to the official IRNA news agency.
“We defend the rights of our society with dignity and pride, and we have never run away from dialogue and will not do so, although the United States has targeted our country three times despite having signed the agreement,” Pezeshkian told entrepreneurs.
He accused the US of violating the agreement by keeping a naval blockade in place. “The US should get the idea of bringing us to our knees with terror and martyrdom out of its head,” he said.
With sea routes restricted, Iran wants to expand import and export avenues by land with Pakistan, Iraq, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan, Pezeshkian said.
Fresh US sanctions target Iran’s carmakers and railways
The US Treasury Department imposed fresh sanctions on Thursday on Iran’s rail and automotive conglomerates, aimed at countering those alternative trade routes.
The measures target Iran Khodro Company and SAIPA, which together hold more than 90 per cent of Iran’s domestic auto market, plus the state-owned Islamic Republic of Iran Railway Company and top private freight lines.
The sanctions fall under “Operation Economic Outcast”, launched on August 24, aimed at cutting Tehran’s funding for warfare and the Revolutionary Guard. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the action “directly targets Iran’s enablers and lays the groundwork for the United States and our partners to drain the regime’s revenue once and for all”.
Russian President Vladimir Putin separately told a forum he hoped the Strait of Hormuz would stay open to shipping and that sanctions on Iran would eventually be lifted, noting Russia’s offer to take Iran’s enriched uranium remained on the table.
Frequently asked questions
What did Trump say about Iran’s Hormuz offer?
He called it “simply not enough” in a Time Magazine interview and warned US strikes on Iran could resume after the midterm elections.
How has Iran responded?
President Pezeshkian said Iran would defend itself but stayed open to dialogue, and wants to expand land trade with Pakistan, Iraq, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan as sea routes face restrictions.
What are the new US sanctions on Iran?
The Treasury sanctioned Iran Khodro and SAIPA, holding over 90 per cent of Iran’s domestic car market, plus the state railway company and major private freight lines, under “Operation Economic Outcast”.
