Donald Trump asks if a deal can let Iran rebuild into "maybe one of the greatest in the Middle East"

At the United Nations this week, President Donald Trump gave Iran a choice between a negotiated settlement that could let it recover and severe military consequences. On Saturday, he said he had turned down Tehran’s newest truce offer, which Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described as a seven-day pause in fighting, including in Lebanon, the release of at least $12 billion in frozen Iranian funds, relief from oil sanctions, an end to the naval blockade, and reopening of the Strait of Hormuz before nuclear negotiations restart. Araghchi said the plan resembled a June understanding that fell apart. Trump said talks remain possible but the proposal was unacceptable, and he declined to say whether U.S. military strikes would resume after November’s midterm elections. The strait’s closure has driven up worldwide energy costs during the nearly seven-month U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.