Saturday, Sep 26, 2026
1 Iran Reportedly Mines Hormuz Bypass Corridor After Trump Rejects Seven-Day Ceasefire↩︎ 🛢️ Commodity Sep 26, 4:10 AM EDT 1229/148
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▶Iran is reportedly laying naval mines in the southern Omani corridor of the Strait of Hormuz, the route ships have used to bypass Iranian restrictions, hours after President Donald Trump rejected Tehran's seven-day ceasefire proposal. At least some of the 10-plus missiles fired into the strait carried mines, according to initial reports and a senior Iranian source. The reports are unconfirmed, and how many mines were successfully deployed is unclear.
Trump confirmed the rejection on Saturday as he left the White House. "I'm rejecting their deal," he said. "They want to make a deal where they open the strait immediately ... we're winning tremendously. We have total control of the Hormuz Strait ... that deal would not be acceptable." The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump has told aides he expects to resume bombing Iran after the November midterm elections and is skeptical Tehran would meet his demands. The rejected plan called for a seven-day halt to regional hostilities, the release of at least $12 billion in frozen Iranian assets, lifting sanctions on Iranian oil and an end to the US naval blockade, with Iran reopening Hormuz on the seventh day and then restarting nuclear talks.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran has seen Trump's initial reaction but is still awaiting Washington's definitive response through mediators, insisting a negotiated solution is the only way to end the deadlock. Iranian political analyst Hamidreza Azizi said the rejection strengthens those in Tehran who argue Iran can only reach a deal from a stronger position, and that he would not be surprised to see further Iranian escalation in the strait before the midterms.