Trump Rejects Iran’s 7-Day Ceasefire Proposal, Expects Airstrikes to Resume After Midterm Elections

U.S. President Donald Trump has rejected Iran’s proposal for a seven-day ceasefire, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing U.S. officials. According to the newspaper, Trump told aides it is “likely” that the United States will resume airstrikes against Iran after November’s midterm elections.

The Iranian proposal, conveyed through intermediaries in Qatar and confirmed by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi at the United Nations, envisioned Tehran reopening the Strait of Hormuz and resuming talks on dismantling the nuclear program in exchange for lifting the U.S. naval blockade, plus sanctions relief and the unfreezing of frozen funds.

But Trump remains “skeptical” that Iran will accept U.S. demands, and U.S. officials have made clear to Tehran that the president has “no intention” of lifting the naval blockade. A White House official told Reuters this week that “crushing sanctions” and “one of the most successful blockades in history” have devastated the Iranian economy — and that Trump prefers to wait for the “inevitable Iranian collapse” rather than be “played” by the regime.

In his speech at the United Nations, Trump warned Tehran that the U.S. could “obliterate” Iran. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Wall Street Journal’s reporting, the New York Post reported.