UPDATE: U.S.–Iran Talks Expected This Week Despite Rejected Hormuz Plan
On September 27, President Donald Trump said he expected U.S. negotiators to resume indirect contacts with Iran during the following week, despite rejecting Tehran’s seven-day Hormuz proposal. Iranian officials said they still sought a negotiated solution and awaited a formal response through mediators.
Trump told Axios on Sunday that he expects U.S. negotiators to engage in additional talks with Iran during the coming week. The statement came one day after he publicly rejected Tehran’s proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz under a seven-day sequence of sanctions relief, an end to the U.S. naval blockade and broader regional de-escalation.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Tehran had heard Trump’s rejection publicly but had not yet received a definitive U.S. response through the Qatari mediators handling the indirect channel. He said Iran remained prepared to negotiate, while maintaining that reopening the strait depends on its conditions being addressed.
Axios reported that a U.S. official and two regional sources said Qatari mediators continued shuttle diplomacy over the weekend. The mediators have reportedly circulated possible revisions and could meet separately with Araqchi and U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff as early as Monday.
Reuters independently reported Trump’s expectation of more talks this week and Araqchi’s statement that Tehran was still awaiting the formal response through intermediaries.
Nuclear limits and the order of concessions
Araqchi said Iran remains open to diplomacy. In a separately recorded interview aired by CBS News, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran was prepared to negotiate limits and inspections related to its nuclear program within an agreed framework, while rejecting coercion and insisting on Iran’s claimed rights under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
No new agreement has been announced, and neither side has publicly accepted a compromise text.
It remains unclear whether Washington would consider sanctions relief, changes to the naval blockade or phased access to frozen Iranian assets before Iran makes nuclear concessions. Tehran has not indicated that it will abandon uranium enrichment or transfer its highly enriched stockpile abroad.
The timing, location and format of the expected talks have not been formally announced. Renewed U.S. strikes also remain possible if mediation fails.
Iran’s original plan proposed a seven-day sequence leading to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and the start of broader negotiations. Washington objected to the order of concessions, arguing that Iran was asking for sanctions relief and other benefits before demonstrating that it would accept meaningful nuclear limits.
Qatar carried messages between the two sides
The latest diplomatic activity is being facilitated primarily by Qatar. The channel is indirect: mediators carry messages and revised terms between U.S. and Iranian representatives rather than the sides negotiating face to face.
The strait remains the central source of leverage in the seven-month conflict. Disrupted shipping has affected global energy flows, while U.S. military operations and Iran-linked attacks have widened the risk of escalation across the Gulf and Yemen.
This is an update to CurrentFront’s September 26 report, “UPDATE: Trump Rejects Iran’s Seven-Day Hormuz Proposal.” That article established that Washington had rejected the plan while indirect diplomacy had not formally ended.
Status: Developing
Sources
- Reuters — Iran insists on diplomatic solution after Trump rejects peace plan — first published September 26, 2026, at 22:36 UTC; updated September 27.
- Axios — After nixing Iran proposal, Trump says he expects talks this week — September 27, 2026.
- CBS News — Transcript of the Face the Nation interview with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian — posted September 25, 2026, at 21:10 EDT; aired September 27.
- CurrentFront — UPDATE: Trump Rejects Iran’s Seven-Day Hormuz Proposal — September 26, 2026.
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