BY TYLER DURDEN
SATURDAY, SEP 26, 2026 – 11:00 PM
Speaking to reporters Saturday on the White House lawn, President Trump offered his first direct confirmation that he has rejected an Iranian proposal for a seven-day ceasefire and is open to the resumption of attacks on the Islamic Republic, as it still insists on its strict demands for reopening the Strait of Hormuz and ending the war.
The night prior, The Wall Street Journal was the first to report that "President Trump has rejected Iran’s proposal for a seven-day ceasefireand has told aides he expects to resume bombing Iran after the November midterms, U.S. officials said." Here’s how the president responded to a reporter’s question Saturday morning:
"They want to make a deal where they open the strait immediately because they’re losing so badly,"Trump continued. "You know you don’t read that, you don’t see that in the fake news."
"We’re winning tremendously. We have total control of the Hormuz Strait, massive amounts of oil are coming out of the Hormuz Strait," he claimed. "Last night we had 29 ships come out. They want to make a deal, and I think that’s fine, I like making a deal, too, but that deal would not be acceptable."
"And what they want to do is immediately open the Hormuz Strait. You know why? Because they’re dying," Trump said. "You know why they’re dying? Because they have no money coming in. Because they get their money from the Hormuz Strait."
He continued: “So they outsmarted themselves. They said, ‘Let’s close it and cause a problem for the world.’ And then I came along and we put up the greatest blockade ever in military history. It’s a wall of steel."
"I would put it up and guess what? They don’t have any money now because they wanted to close the strait. And I said, ‘That’s fine, we’re going to close it on you. But everybody else is able to use it,’" Trump added.
Analysis: President Trump thinks a better deal is just around the corner and he is willing to set the region on fire again in his pursuit of it.
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