Trump Says U.S.-Iran Deal Could Reopen Strait of Hormuz Within Days
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump said the United States and Iran could reach an agreement within days to extend a ceasefire and reopen the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, offering an optimistic assessment of negotiations even as tensions continued to complicate efforts toward a broader settlement. In a telephone interview with ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl, Trump said discussions with Tehran were progressing and suggested that an agreement could be reached within the following week. He acknowledged that negotiations had encountered a temporary setback but said he believed the problem had been addressed quickly. “There was a little glitch today,” Trump said, describing the situation as recoverable rather than evidence that diplomacy had broken down.
Trump also presented negotiations as an alternative to continued military confrontation. He argued that a diplomatic settlement could ultimately prove more consequential than a battlefield outcome, emphasizing the potential value of reaching an agreement with Tehran. The president acknowledged that negotiations with Iran would be difficult, given the long history of hostility between Washington and Tehran and the complexity of the issues under discussion. “It’s not an easy thing for them,” Trump said. “It’s actually not easy from our standpoint either.”
At the heart of the discussions was the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway connecting the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and one of the world’s most important routes for energy shipments. The waterway has remained a major source of tension throughout the U.S.-Iran conflict. Any prolonged disruption to commercial traffic through the strait has implications for global oil supplies, shipping costs and energy markets. Trump said he expected a memorandum of understanding concerning the waterway could be completed within approximately a week, although he acknowledged that unresolved issues remained. “I still have to get a few more points,” he said.
Diplomatic Framework Takes Shape
The president’s comments came as Washington and Tehran attempted to transform an existing ceasefire into a more durable framework. Earlier negotiations had repeatedly encountered obstacles, particularly over Iran’s nuclear program, sanctions, maritime security and the conditions governing passage through the Strait of Hormuz. ABC News later reported that a proposed U.S.-Iran memorandum included provisions for a 60-day cessation of fighting and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to commercial traffic. Senior administration officials said the document was intended to establish a framework for longer-term negotiations.
The diplomatic effort was unfolding against a volatile regional backdrop involving Israel, Hezbollah and Iran. Trump said he had intervened to discourage further escalation after fighting involving Israel and Hezbollah threatened to complicate the negotiations. He also said he had spoken with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the situation. The president portrayed his involvement as an effort to prevent regional developments from undermining the broader U.S.-Iran diplomatic process.
However, the situation remained fluid, with officials on all sides continuing to issue conflicting statements about the status of negotiations. Iranian officials did not always publicly confirm Trump’s characterization of the talks, contributing to uncertainty over whether the two governments had reached common ground on the proposed agreement. Trump’s comments reflected a period of cautious optimism in which Washington believed an agreement could be reached relatively quickly. But subsequent developments demonstrated how fragile the diplomatic process remained.
Agreement Faces Strain and Setbacks
ABC News later reported that the June memorandum formally established a framework for a ceasefire, ended the U.S. naval blockade and provided for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. The framework also created a 60-day negotiating period intended to address unresolved issues, including Iran’s nuclear program and rules governing maritime passage. The agreement, however, later came under severe strain as the United States and Iran resumed exchanging attacks. Subsequent reporting described the ceasefire and memorandum as increasingly fragile, with disputes over implementation and military activity threatening the framework.
By September, Reuters reported that tensions had again escalated, with Iran warning that U.S. energy infrastructure in the Gulf could be vulnerable and the Strait of Hormuz remaining a major point of confrontation. The developments illustrate the difficulty of converting a temporary pause in fighting into a lasting diplomatic settlement. For Washington, reopening the Strait remains closely tied to regional security and the flow of international energy supplies. For Tehran, negotiations involve questions of sovereignty, sanctions, military security and its nuclear program.
Trump’s original seven-day forecast therefore represented an expectation rather than a guaranteed outcome. Subsequent events demonstrated that even when Washington and Tehran reached preliminary understandings, maintaining those agreements amid continuing regional tensions remained a significant challenge.