Washington denounces Iran's truce proposal as 'cynical'

A top US official on Sunday dismissed a proposal for reopening the Strait of Hormuz presented by Iran as "cynical" and indicated it was a non-starter for Washington. Iran's truce plan, announced by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi at the United Nations earlier this week, calls for the release of frozen Iranian assets, the lifting of sanctions on Iranian oil and an end to the US naval blockade. Iran wants the waterway, central to the world's energy supplies, opened in return.

Why did the US call Iran's truce proposal cynical?

US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz said Iran's proposal was a cynical attempt to put forward terms it knew were unacceptable. He told NBC that Iran had asked for the blockade and international sanctions to be lifted, and access to billions in frozen assets, just to talk. President Donald Trump rejected the deal on Saturday, saying Iranian leaders wanted it because they were losing badly.

Is the US open to further negotiations with Iran?

Waltz said it made sense that Trump lacked confidence this time, having tried a similar approach a few months earlier. He added that the president would leave all options on the table to reach an eventual arrangement, though a deal would have to end in some form of agreement. Waltz did not specify a timeline or the terms Washington would accept.

How did Iran respond to the US rejection?

Araghchi denounced what he called old, unproven accusations made by Waltz, speaking on NBC shortly after the ambassador's remarks. He said Iran was ready to open the strait once certain conditions were met by the US, adding that these were rights Iran wanted respected rather than new demands. Araghchi struck a pessimistic tone on diplomacy, saying Iran had no reason to re-engage with the current US administration given its behavior over the past two years.