TEHRAN / WASHINGTON — Iran’s government on Wednesday took a U.S. response to Tehran’s seven-day Strait of Hormuz reopening proposal into a cabinet meeting even as maritime authorities reported fresh projectile strikes on tankers, according to Iran International, Al Jazeera, and other Sept. 30 coverage.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi presented Washington’s feedback — conveyed via Qatari mediators — to President Masoud Pezeshkian and ministers, a government spokesperson said. Iranian and Western reports describe the two sides as largely aligned on the components of a short trust-building plan but still split on sequencing: which side moves first on ceasefire steps, maritime reopening, and related conditions.
President Donald Trump has publicly rejected Iran’s original proposal and said Iran will eventually “give up,” while also dismissing media reports that he offered sanctions relief for nuclear concessions. Diplomats briefed on the talks say private messaging continues despite the public rhetoric. Separately, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has urged Americans to protest Trump and claimed near-daily confrontations with vessels in the strait.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre reported vessels — including descriptions in secondary coverage of an oil tanker, an LNG tanker, and a third ship — struck by unknown projectiles around the strait, with investigations ongoing and crews reported safe in at least one earlier incident. Oil prices firmed Wednesday on the headlines; IBTimes cited Brent near $97.80 and WTI near $90.62 in morning trade.
Al Jazeera, citing tanker-tracker data, reported Middle East crude exports recovering toward roughly 80% of pre-war February levels even while remaining millions of barrels per day below the pre-war peak — a rebound that may undercut Tehran’s leverage if Hormuz disruption fades while U.S. pressure continues. U.S. diesel prices recently hit records above $6.50 a gallon, adding midterm political pressure in Washington.
This piece focuses on Wednesday’s cabinet review and maritime incidents rather than restating earlier mediator rounds alone. No final ceasefire has been announced; Hormuz traffic, insurance rates, and gasoline costs remain the practical tests of whether sequencing gaps can close.
Shipping insurers and energy desks are watching whether Wednesday’s projectile reports are isolated harassment or a return to denser attacks that would spike war-risk premiums again. Partial recovery of crude flows through Hormuz has eased some global supply fear, but a single confirmed tanker fire can reverse that sentiment within hours.
For U.S. drivers, the linkage remains diesel and gasoline: even when crude recovers, refining constraints and export policy debates can keep pump prices elevated into the midterms. Trump’s public toughness and private counterproposal via Qatar are not mutually exclusive in diplomatic practice, but they complicate Iran’s domestic messaging as the rial trades at record lows and war costs mount.
Based on Iran International, Al Jazeera, IBTimes, and CBS News live updates dated Sept. 30, 2026. Strike details as reported by UKMTO via those outlets; oil prints as cited in secondary reports.