Iran rejects US ceasefire proposal as war threats escalate

Iran rejected a ceasefire proposal from U.S. President Donald Trump that was delivered to Tehran by Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, according to Iranian and Iraqi officials, quoted by the New York Times.

The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, said al-Zaidi’s visit followed a recent trip to Washington, where he met Trump at the White House. The mediation effort ultimately failed as Tehran dismissed the proposal.

Details of the ceasefire offer were not disclosed. However, Iranian officials said it was the only proposal presented and that Tehran was unwilling to accept a temporary arrangement that left unresolved the issue of control over the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global shipping route.

During his visit to Tehran, al-Zaidi met with President Masoud Pezeshkian, senior negotiator Brig. Gen. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, according to local media reports.

Araghchi told state television that Iran and Iraq share close economic, political and security ties, describing the visit as significant under current regional conditions. He said al-Zaidi had conveyed his “views and impressions” from discussions in Washington but added that Tehran did not lack intermediaries. “The problem is not passing messages,” he said. “The problem is America’s outlook, which is illogical, greedy and controlling.”

Tensions between Iran and the United States have intensified in recent weeks. U.S. forces have carried out strikes on military installations as well as infrastructure, including railways, airports, bridges and seaports, while Iran has responded with ballistic missile and drone attacks on American military targets in the Middle East.

Two Iranian officials said the country’s armed forces were preparing for a potential expansion of the conflict if Trump follows through on threats to strike Tehran and key infrastructure. In that scenario, they said, Iran would widen the confrontation regionally, including by targeting Tel Aviv and urging its Houthi allies to close the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a strategic maritime chokepoint in the Red Sea.

On July 23, a display of military force was visible in Tehran’s Azadi Square, where pro-government supporters hold nightly rallies. A military vehicle paraded Iranian-made ballistic missiles pointed skyward.

By Tamilla Hasanova