Trump Calls Axios Report a Hoax as Qatar Carries Iran’s Hormuz Ideas to Washington

Iran’s foreign minister said on Monday night that Tehran had given Qatari mediators new ideas for Washington, and that he hoped for an answer by Tuesday. Axios had reported that Donald Trump was ready to ease sanctions and unfreeze Iranian funds in return for nuclear concessions. Trump answered on Truth Social that the story was a hoax. Iran’s supreme leader, in a written statement, said the United States would be driven from the Arabian Sea.

The exchange follows Trump’s rejection on Saturday of Iran’s seven day plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which Silent Dossier covered on Monday. Background is in that article.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says Iran has passed fresh ideas to the United States through Qatar and expects a reply on Tuesday. Trump has denied offering sanctions relief or frozen funds. Mojtaba Khamenei, the supreme leader, issued a statement on the same day that made no mention of talks.

According to Iran’s state news agency IRNA, as carried by TRT World, he said of the Qatari mediators: “They had ideas, and we discussed how a way could be found to meet Iran’s conditions”. On timing he said: “I hope this will happen by tomorrow.” Investinglive, citing IRNA, reported that he hoped to receive Washington’s final response through the Qatari channel by Tuesday. It also reported that the Qatari and Pakistani mediation channels had become more serious since Iran presented its plan.

Investinglive reported him saying that “the conditions stressed by Iran’s Supreme Leader must be implemented for the Strait of Hormuz to reopen”. The reports did not detail the ideas or spell out the conditions he meant, according to Investinglive.

Axios, citing US officials, reported that Trump was prepared to ease sanctions and release frozen Iranian funds in exchange for movement on the nuclear programme. Trump’s post on Monday, 28 September, at 5:34 p.m. Eastern time, archived by Trump’s Truth, says the Axios story is untrue and states: “I offered them NOTHING!” He called the report a “HOAX” and demanded its withdrawal.

Khamenei’s statement was issued on 28 September for Sacred Defense Week, which marks the Iran-Iraq war, and for the second anniversary of the death of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. State television carried the statement, which said: “having suffered painful blows at the hands of valiant fighters and the guardians of the Strait of Hormuz, they do not venture beyond the Arabian Sea.” He added: “It will not be long before the Arabian Sea, too, would rid itself of their presence.” Khamenei has not been seen in public since the war began in late February, and the statement was written.

On Saturday, Trump called Iran’s plan “totally unacceptable”. On Sunday, Araghchi told NBC that Iran had “no reason” to return to diplomacy with this administration. On Monday, Araghchi said that ideas were with Qatar and that he hoped for an answer within a day.

Trump told Axios by phone that he expects renewed Iran talks “this week”. On Monday evening he denied offering anything. US Ambassador Mike Waltz had said on CNN that Iran was “asking for everything up front.” The Axios report described relief in exchange for nuclear steps. The president’s post says no such offer exists.

Araghchi said the conditions belong to the supreme leader. The supreme leader’s statement that day speaks of expelling American forces from the Arabian Sea and does not mention talks.

Qatar carries Iran’s ideas out, and Araghchi said Washington’s answer would come back through the same channel. The Hormuz plan asked for a blockade lifted and funds released within a week. No official has said in public that any of it has moved.

Araghchi’s Tuesday deadline is the first marker. If a reply arrives through Qatar, Tehran’s own description of it will show whether it answers Iran’s conditions. The second is Trump’s next public wording on sanctions: the post says “NOTHING” was offered, which leaves room for an offer made after the denial. The third is whether Khamenei’s conditions, which Araghchi says must be met, are ever stated in public.

Trump says nothing was offered, and Araghchi says a reply is due. By Wednesday one of those statements will have been tested.