Trump publicly rejects Iran's ceasefire offer, eyes strikes after midterms

Update, 26 September, 18:07 Israel time

Trump's confirmation came in answers to reporters outside the White House, and Reuters has now described the terms he rejected. The Times of Israel reported that he was asked about the Iranian plan on the South Lawn before boarding Marine One on Saturday, and quoted him in English: "They made a proposal, but I rejected it." By that account he said Iran wanted the strait opened at once because it was losing badly, and claimed the US has "total control" of the channel.

Haaretz, carrying a Reuters report, said the offer Trump turned down would have had Iran open Hormuz within seven days if Washington lifted its naval blockade and oil sanctions and kept to a ceasefire covering Lebanon. That wording places the reopening at the end of the pause, which differs both from Trump's description of an immediate reopening and from the Al Mayadeen list saying the strait would stay shut during the pause.

Barak Ravid of Axios also reported that Trump said he rejected the latest Iranian proposal. None of the new reports carries any Iranian response or any fresh comment on the midterms.

Update, 26 September, 17:07 Israel time

Trump has now confirmed the rejection himself. Earlier coverage rested on US officials cited by the Wall Street Journal. On Saturday the president said in his own words that he was turning the Iranian offer down, according to a Ynet alert that described it as a proposal to open the Strait of Hormuz. N12 quoted him as saying he had rejected Iran's ceasefire proposal.

Abu Ali Express carried a longer Hebrew rendering of his remarks, which was cut off partway through. By that account, Trump:

• said Iran wants an agreement letting it reopen the strait and resume trade straight away because it is taking heavy losses;
• said he likes making deals but called this offer unacceptable;
• claimed the US is winning and has full control of the strait, saying 29 ships passed through it the previous day;
• argued that Iran's income depends on the strait and that closing it had trapped Tehran;
• described the US blockade of Iran as the biggest in military history.

Two points in his account sit uneasily with earlier reporting. He framed the offer as an immediate reopening of the strait, whereas the Al Mayadeen terms said it would stay closed during the pause. He also asserted US control of the waterway, which Iran has not been reported as accepting. None of the three new reports mentions the midterms or the timing of any renewed strikes.

The story as first reported

US President Donald Trump has turned down an Iranian proposal aimed at pausing the fighting and has told his advisers he expects American bombing of Iran to resume after the US midterm elections in November, according to a Wall Street Journal report that cited US officials. Israeli outlets including Ynet, The Times of Israel and The Jerusalem Post relayed the report. Ynet described the offer as a week-long ceasefire in which Iran would open the Strait of Hormuz and return to nuclear negotiations, in return for the lifting of the US blockade and economic relief.

The same officials indicated that Trump is hesitant to go back to large-scale combat. The Times of Israel, summarising the Journal, reported that his thinking could still shift and might be influenced by how the midterms turn out. Ynet added that the scope of any renewed strikes has not been decided, that depleted munitions stocks are among the reasons for his reluctance, and that officials in Washington believe economic pressure will push Tehran toward compromise. As of Saturday, Iran was still waiting for a formal American reply, according to The Times of Israel.

How the proposal was delivered

According to The Times of Israel, Iran put forward the plan as part of diplomatic activity around the United Nations General Assembly in New York, and said it had been passed to the Americans through Qatari mediators. Qatar, a Gulf state, has served as a channel between parties that do not negotiate directly. The Jerusalem Post noted that Trump himself addressed the 81st session of the General Assembly on September 22, 2026. The Times of Israel also reported that Iranian officials held contacts with Saudi Arabia, their regional rival, over the strait.

What the Iranian offer reportedly contained

The fullest description of the terms came not from the Journal but from Al Mayadeen, a Lebanese television channel, as relayed by Abu Ali Express, a Hebrew-language Telegram channel. By that account, Iran sought:

• a halt to all combat for 7 days, including in Lebanon;
• the release of at least 12 billion dollars in Iranian funds frozen abroad;
• removal of the US naval blockade on Iran;
• the lifting of US sanctions on Iranian oil exports, or waivers from them.

The same list, as published, states that the Strait of Hormuz would stay closed during the 7-day period, though the text is cut off at that point.

Why the Strait of Hormuz matters

The Strait of Hormuz is the narrow waterway linking the Persian Gulf to the open sea, between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula, and it is a major route for oil shipments from the Gulf. The Times of Israel called it strategic and described the current confrontation as a seven-month-old conflict spanning the wider Middle East. Iran's ability to keep the strait shut, and the US blockade of Iran, are the two pressure points that appear on both sides of the reported offer.

The midterm elections

US midterm elections are held halfway through a presidential term and decide seats in Congress. The reports tie the timing of any resumed strikes to the November vote, and The Jerusalem Post framed the story as Trump expecting the war to continue after the elections.

Where the accounts differ

The reports do not describe the Hormuz element in the same way. Ynet and The Times of Israel present the proposal as one in which Iran would reopen the strait. Abu Ali Express headlined it as a plan to open the strait within 7 days, yet the Al Mayadeen terms it quoted say the strait would remain closed during those 7 days. Ynet also mentions a return to nuclear talks, which does not appear in the Al Mayadeen list as published.

What the reports do not say

None of the reports quotes Trump or the White House directly, and no official US or Iranian statement confirming the rejection is included in the material. The US officials cited by the Journal are not named. The Al Mayadeen terms are attributed to a single outlet and have not been confirmed by either government. The reports do not say what scale of strikes is under consideration, whether Israel was consulted, or how Iran intends to respond.