Hours after Iran proposed a seven-day ceasefire plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, US President Donald Trump on Friday (local time) rejected the proposal and informed his aides that he expects renewed bombing after the midterms, scheduled for 3 November.

The Wall Street Journal cited US officials and reported the development, adding that Trump is skeptical that Tehran would meet his demands and has told his staff that he expects a renewed bombing campaign.

What did the US officials say about Trump rejecting the proposal?
According to the officials, the US President’s current stance on the war indicates that the conflict’s stage, an uncertain phase between war and peace, is likely to move back toward hostilities. However, Trump, who declared victory against Iran in the earliest days of the seven-month conflict, has been alternating between pursuing diplomacy, ordering strikes, and announcing stricter sanctions against Iran. Officials believe his stance could shift again as the war drags on and is likely to be affected by the midterm results.

Separately, the officials are unsure about the level of strikes the US President is contemplating. They added that he is reluctant to resume major operations, partly because Washington wants to reserve its depleting stockpile of munitions for other contingencies. But Trump has announced plans to launch massive attacks to push through a diplomatic impasse in negotiations between the two sides. While he has sometimes acted on such threats, he has stopped short of carrying out his most extreme warnings, including a threat to destroy Iran’s entire civilization.

The shift in Trump’s stance comes at a time when Iran has proposed a seven-day ceasefire, which would have reopened the Strait of Hormuz, a key sticking point in negotiations between the two sides. The strait has been effectively shut since the war began in late February.

Read More: US-Iran war: Donald Trump rejects Tehran’s seven-day ceasefire proposal to reopen Hormuz