Following U.S. President Donald Trump's rejection of Iran's "seven-day plan" to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, mediating countries are urging Iran to make concessions regarding its nuclear program, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on September 27 (local time).

According to the WSJ, mediators are pressing Iran to make concessions on its nuclear program to enable the U.S. and Iran to resume negotiations, out of concern over the recurrence of an all-out war.

However, Iran has reportedly given little indication to mediators that it is prepared to discuss its nuclear program.

Previously, the Iranian side proposed to the U.S. that if the U.S. lifted the maritime blockade, returned frozen funds, declared a ceasefire on all fronts, and lifted sanctions on Iranian crude oil exports, it could reopen the Strait of Hormuz within seven days.

However, President Trump stated the previous day that he had rejected the proposal.

He claimed that Iran is "getting defeated so badly that they want to make a deal to open the strait immediately."

President Trump has been attempting to reframe the current conflict back to his original goal of preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

In his UN General Assembly speech on September 22, he also reiterated his principle of a denuclearized Iran, stating that he would never tolerate Iran possessing nuclear weapons.

The WSJ pointed out that while mediators are trying to extract nuclear concessions from Iran to appease President Trump, the likelihood of Iran accepting this is realistically slim.

Middle Eastern officials communicating with the Iranian side stated that the Iranian leadership is confident it can withstand a long-term U.S. blockade or a resumption of bombing campaigns, and wants the U.S. to make concessions first before negotiations proceed.

They cited the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) seizing power in Iran and maintaining a hardline stance as the reason why it is difficult to foresee a forward-looking attitude from Iran.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that while Iran is open to negotiations, it will firmly respond to any aggression.

In an interview with U.S. network NBC that day regarding the "seven-day plan" he had proposed, he said, "I heard that President Trump is going to reject it, but we are still waiting for an official response through mediators."

He also emphasized, "We will firmly counter any attack against us, even if it brings an end-of-days war. At the same time, we are ready for diplomacy. A very reasonable proposal is on the table."

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