Iran rejects US ceasefire proposal delivered by Iraqi prime minister - report

Iran rejected a ceasefire proposal from US President Donald Trump that was carried to Tehran by Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, according to Iranian and Iraqi officials cited by the New York Times. Al-Zaidi's trip to Tehran followed his recent visit with Trump at the White House. The details of the ceasefire proposal were not immediately clear, but Iranian officials said it was the only offer on the table, and that their government was not interested in a temporary deal that left the question of control over the Strait of Hormuz unresolved.

Al-Zaidi traveled to Tehran with a delegation of senior Iraqi officials and met with President Masoud Pezeshkian, Iran's top negotiator Brig. Gen. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. Araghchi told state television that Iran and Iraq had mutual economic, political and security interests and close ties, and that the visit was significant given current regional circumstances.

Araghchi said al-Zaidi had shared his "views and impressions" from his trip to Washington but, "The problem is not passing messages," he said. "The problem is America's outlook, which is illogical, greedy and controlling."

Iran and the US have steadily escalated tensions over the past few weeks, with American forces bombing military bases and infrastructure including railroads, airports, bridges and seaports, while Iran has launched ballistic missile and drone strikes on American military targets in the Middle East.

Two Iranian officials said the country's armed forces were anticipating and preparing for the possibility of the war expanding if Trump follows through on threats to strike Tehran and critical infrastructure. If he does, the officials said, Iran will expand the fight regionally, including by striking Tel Aviv and asking its Houthi allies to close Bab al-Mandab, a strategic waterway in the Red Sea.