President Donald Trump rejected Iran’s latest proposal and said the nation wanted to make a deal because it was “losing so badly.”
WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 23: U.S. President Donald Trump points to members of the media as he walks to board Marine One alongside first lady Melania Trump (R) on the South Lawn of the White House on September 23, 2026 in Washington, DC. Trump is traveling to Joint Base Andrews, Maryland to welcome Chinese President Xi Jinping as he arrives for a visit to the United States. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
“They want to make a deal and I think that’s fine,” Trump told reporters outside the White House before leaving for a college football game on Saturday. “I’d like to make a deal, too. But that deal would not be acceptable.”
The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump aids said the president expects to resume bombing Iran after November’s midterm elections.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi outlined Tehran’s proposal this week at the United Nations General Assembly.
AraghchI said the plan would begin once the U.S. accepted it, with initial steps taking four or five days and the Strait of Hormuz reopening on the sixth day.
Araghchi said talks with the U.S. on Iran’s nuclear program would begin on the seventh day. He said the proposal was intended to lead to a final agreement on mutually agreed subjects.
The White House has not publicly announced whether it has formally responded to the proposal. The WJJ reported Trump remains skeptical that Tehran will meet U.S. demands.
The prospect of renewed strikes would prolong a conflict that has already unsettled energy markets and disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, which is a major oil route.
Trump has repeatedly linked the prospect of a deal with Iran to the midterm elections, saying earlier this month that he expected the war to end after the vote. He has also said Iran must abandon its nuclear ambitions or face further military action.
Iran has rejected U.S. demands to relinquish what it calls its sovereign nuclear rights.
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EDITOR’S NOTE: The Associated Press contributed to this report.