Iran has rejected a US ceasefire proposal conveyed through Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, insisting it would not accept a temporary truce that leaves the status of the strategic Strait of Hormuz unresolved, according to a report by The New York Times, citing Iranian and Iraqi officials.
The reported rejection comes after nearly two weeks of escalating hostilities between the United States and Iran, during which both sides have exchanged military strikes while diplomatic efforts to halt the conflict have faltered.
According to the report, the ceasefire proposal was presented to Tehran during Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s visit on Thursday. While the full details of the proposal have not been disclosed, Iranian officials said Tehran was unwilling to accept any temporary arrangement that failed to address control of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global energy shipping route.
The White House has not commented on the report.
Al-Zaidi travelled to Tehran after meeting U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House earlier this month, raising speculation that Baghdad was attempting to mediate between the two adversaries.
Ahead of the Iraqi leader’s arrival, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi acknowledged that al-Zaidi could carry messages from Washington but stressed that Tehran was not seeking further mediation with the United States.
“The primary obstacle is the irrational, excessive, and hegemonic approach of the US,” Araghchi told Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB.
His remarks contrasted sharply with Trump’s comments on Thursday, in which the US president ruled out an immediate ceasefire and signalled that military operations against Iran would continue.
“They would like to do something, but I say they’re not ready yet. They need more of the same,” Trump said, adding that Iran’s leaders “have some evil intentions.”
The conflict has intensified despite the reimposition of a US naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran has continued attacks on commercial shipping in the strategic waterway and launched strikes against US targets across the Middle East, while American forces have carried out sustained airstrikes against Iranian military installations and infrastructure.
According to the New York Times, two Iranian officials said the country’s armed forces were preparing for the possibility of a broader conflict if the United States follows through on Trump’s threats to strike Tehran and critical infrastructure. They said Iran could expand the conflict by targeting Tel Aviv and urging Yemen’s Houthi movement to close the Bab al-Mandab Strait, another vital maritime chokepoint.
Meanwhile, Iran and Iraq sought to strengthen bilateral ties during al-Zaidi’s visit.
In the presence of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and the Iraqi prime minister, senior officials from both countries signed four agreements and memorandums of understanding aimed at expanding economic and administrative cooperation.
The agreements cover road freight transportation, construction of the Khosravi-Khanaqin-Baghdad railway, establishment of a sister-city partnership between Tehran and Baghdad, and cooperation in public administration, training and human resources management.
The documents were signed at Tehran’s Sa’dabad Cultural-Historical Complex, underscoring the two neighbours’ efforts to deepen cooperation even as regional tensions continue to escalate.
