Iran’s seven-day Hormuz plan in limbo after reported Trump rejection

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Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Friday that Tehran was prepared to negotiate limits on its nuclear program within the framework of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Asked whether Iran would allow inspectors into the country, Pezeshkian said, “That is absolutely correct,” adding that agreements on inspections could be reached through negotiations.

Pezeshkian also cited an “atmosphere of distrust” between Tehran and Washington when asked about the possibility of meeting US President Donald Trump.

The Pentagon has added 37 US service members to its tally of troops wounded during the Iran war, bringing the total to 861, the Washington Post reported on Friday.

The increase includes 29 Navy sailors and eight Marines. The Pentagon database does not specify when or how the 37 were wounded.

A Navy official told the Post that all 29 sailors had returned to duty.

Omani Foreign Minister Badr Al Busaidi and his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi discussed maritime safety and freedom of passage through the Strait of Hormuz on Friday, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, Oman’s foreign ministry said.

The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said Friday that it had intercepted two drones launched by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis toward the Saudi capital Riyadh.

The coalition said in a post on X that it was monitoring missile and drone threats against the kingdom but gave no further details.

Saudi civil defense authorities issued overnight alerts for Khamis Mushait and Abha, but not Riyadh.

The Houthis have stepped up attacks on Saudi cities, energy infrastructure and shipping, adding pressure on the Red Sea route for Persian Gulf exports while traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains largely blocked.

A fifth uprising in Iran is a question of “when, not if,” says Ludovic Hood, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute who previously served as special adviser for the Middle East to Vice President Mike Pence. Hood says intensified US economic pressure, the naval blockade and declining revenues are raising questions about Tehran’s ability to pay salaries — including those of its security forces — leaving the Islamic Republic “about as vulnerable as it’s been in 47 years.”

Watch this week’s Eye for Iran for the full conversation here.

Iranian lawmaker Mohammad Saleh Jokar said Tehran would not back down from enriching uranium to 60%, calling enrichment a fundamental national right, the IRGC-affiliated Fars news agency reported.

Jokar, chairman of parliament’s Committee on Internal Affairs and Councils, said: “We are not seeking nuclear weapons, but we must benefit from the advantages of nuclear science so that the Iranian people can make use of its capabilities.”

“To say that we have no need for 60% enrichment is exactly what our enemies want,” he said, arguing that Iran must defend its nuclear rights.

US President Donald Trump has rejected Iran’s proposal for a seven-day ceasefire and told aides he expects to resume bombing Iran after the November midterm elections, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday, citing US officials.

The proposal would have reopened the Strait of Hormuz and resumed nuclear talks in exchange for Washington lifting its blockade of Iranian ports, according to the report.

Trump has publicly said Tehran is seeking a deal, but privately remains skeptical that Iran would meet his demands on its nuclear program, the officials told the Journal.

The scale of any renewed strikes remains unclear. Trump is reluctant to resume major combat operations partly because Washington wants to preserve dwindling munitions for other contingencies, the officials said. His position could change in the coming weeks, according to the report.

Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported Friday that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian he believed Iran was not seeking nuclear weapons.

“Based on assessments, I believe Iran is not seeking to acquire nuclear weapons,” Guterres said during their meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, according to the report.

The UN chief said he planned to visit the region next week and would urge regional countries to support the diplomatic process.

Guterres described keeping the Strait of Hormuz open as a global concern, linking its security to food supplies and international economic stability.

Akram al-Kaabi, leader of Iraq’s Iran-backed Harakat al-Nujaba militia, threatened Friday to stage sit-ins at Iraqi airports unless flights with Iran resume.

“We will not wait long,” al-Kaabi said in a statement cited by Iraqi news agency Shafaq News. He called for preparations for sit-ins at airports unless flights resumed and what he described as US control over the decision ended.

Al-Kaabi also criticized Iraqi political groups, saying their talk of sovereignty was inconsistent with allowing Washington to control Iraq’s aviation decisions.

Harakat al-Nujaba is an Iran-backed Iraqi Shiite militant group that operates in Iraq and Syria and is designated a terrorist organization by the United States.

Earlier Friday, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said Baghdad had informed Tehran of restrictions on Iranian airlines that took effect Wednesday and intended to discuss the sanctions with Washington.

The US Treasury announced sanctions on September 8 targeting 36 individuals and entities linked to Iran’s aviation sector under “Operation Economic Outcast.”