US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he expects talks with Iran to resume in the coming week, even though he has rejected a truce proposal put forward by Tehran.

Iranian officials presented a plan for a seven-day truce followed by the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz during the UN General Assembly in New York.

Trump dismissed the proposal and has spoken about the possibility of resuming air strikes on Iranian targets. In an interview, he said Iran wants a deal but not the one he is prepared to accept, describing their position as something that might have been considered a year earlier.

Indirect talks between Washington and Tehran could begin as early as Monday, according to reports. Iran, however, continues to stand by its conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global energy supplies that has become central to the ongoing conflict.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said any move to reopen the strait depends on the fulfilment of Tehran’s conditions, which include a halt to hostilities, the release of frozen assets, the lifting of oil sanctions and an end to the US naval blockade. He insisted Iran would not back down from these demands while keeping the door open to diplomacy.

The United States has accused Iran of setting conditions that are too high simply to restart negotiations. Meanwhile, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claimed to have seized an American submersible drone in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, saying it was being used for espionage.

Photo credit: Punch Newspaper