Iran Rules Out Further US Talks Despite Trump's Hopes

Iran's state media reported on September 28 that the country's delegation at the United Nations in New York has no plans for further negotiations with the United States, after President Donald Trump had said he expected talks to resume soon.⁵¹⁴⁷

Rejected proposal

According to Iran's Islamic Republic News Agency, Tehran had proposed reopening the Strait of Hormuz within seven days as part of a wider plan to end hostilities. Daily Sabah and This Is Beirut reported that Tehran laid out seven demands for ending hostilities, among them a week-long truce spanning the region, the release of frozen assets held abroad, the removal of sanctions on its oil industry, and an end to the US naval blockade.⁵¹⁷⁴

Trump rejected the Iranian proposal, according to multiple reports citing Iran's state media and Reuters. Iran's delegation said its position had been conveyed to Washington through a Qatari mediator. "Iran's views and positions were conveyed clearly and explicitly to the US side via a Qatari mediator," the Islamic Republic News Agency said.⁴²⁸⁷

IRNA also reported that the delegation would return to Tehran on Tuesday. A high-ranking Iranian source told the agency that Tehran was now waiting for a US response and was not open to new items being added to the agenda.²³

Diverging signals

Speaking to Axios on September 27, Trump indicated he believed negotiations with Iran would restart shortly, a view repeated across multiple outlets. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran was prepared for either outcome. According to CBS News, in a single-source account, Araghchi said Iran was fully ready for the war to resume and would stand firm against any new aggression, even one that escalated into a doomsday conflict, while also indicating a willingness to pursue diplomacy. with the ultimate decision, he said, resting with President Trump, according to CBS News, which reported this as a single-source account.¹

Trump said of Iran, "They want to make a deal, but it is not the deal that I want to make," and added, "They are losing so badly," according to CBS News, in claims not corroborated elsewhere in the dossier.¹

Citing a single source, The Jerusalem Post reported that US officials were negotiating with Iranian mediators and that Trump had vowed victory, saying the outcome would go America's way regardless of the path taken. It's going to go pretty quickly." The same report said Trump predicted gas prices would fall once the US prevailed and that a trade deal with Canada would be reached.⁶

Background to the conflict

The conflict traces back to US-Israeli strikes on Iran in February, according to Daily Sabah and This Is Beirut. Iran responded by imposing a chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, and Washington answered with a blockade of Iranian ports. Daily Sabah reported that while Washington has refrained from striking Iran since September 1, ships have continued to come under frequent attack in the strait.²⁴

Citing a single source, CBS News said the conflict had persisted for seven months and that Iranian officials had designated any base involved in strikes on Iranian soil as a valid military target. The same report described the arrest of five men near RAF Fairford, a British base used by US bombers, on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act involving three trucks; The Jerusalem Post said five suspects were arrested and later released on bail over an alleged bombing plot at the same base.¹⁶