Trump said Iran wants an agreement because it is "losing so badly," arguing the United States stands to gain more by waiting than by accepting Tehran's terms right now. The rejected plan reportedly included a seven-day roadmap to end the conflict and reopen the strait, a key global shipping route for oil.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran "no longer trusts talks with Washington," a sign of how far apart the two sides remain. Iraq, caught in the middle of the fallout, is seeking a US exemption from a ban on Iranian flights.
For Iran, the rejection means no immediate path out of a war it has already called costly. For the region, the strait remains a flashpoint with no resolution in sight, even as Baghdad scrambles to shield itself from the spillover. Trump's calculation seems to be that time favors Washington, not Tehran.
Trump did leave the door open a crack, saying of Iran, "They want to make a deal, and I think that's fine." Whether that door stays open is anyone's guess.