Iran Rejects US Ceasefire Proposal — Report

SadTrump

Tehran rejected a ceasefire proposal from President Donald Trump Thursday, according to the New York Times, which cited unnamed Iranian and Iraqi sources.

“The failed mediation effort came as Mr. Trump was threatening to escalate the war and target Iran’s critical infrastructure,” The New York Times said Thursday.

While details of the purported deal are not publicly known, Iranian officials said it was the only offer on the table. After the New York Times published the initial report of the rejected proposal, the Iraqi government denied the claim on social media.

The New York Times report claimed Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi brought Washington’s new ceasefire proposal to Tehran after meeting with Trump at the White House on July 14:

Mr. 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 its foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, according to local media reports.

Mr. Araghchi told state television that Iran and Iraq, which share a border, had mutual economic, political and security interests and close ties and that the visit was significant given the current circumstances in the region.

Mr. Araghchi said that Mr. al-Zaidi had shared his “views and impressions” from his trip to Washington, but that Tehran and Washington already had enough mediators. “The problem is not passing messages,” he said. “The problem is America’s outlook, which is illogical, greedy and controlling.”

The Islamic Republic rejected the purported ceasefire because it saw it as a temporary deal which did not resolve the issue of control over the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump’s alleged ceasefire proposal comes as the Iran war continues to escalate, threatening global energy markets and the world economy.

“Two Iranian officials said that the country’s armed forces were anticipating — and preparing for — the possibility of the war expanding if Mr. Trump carries through with his threats to strike the capital of 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,” The New York Times said.

According to Trump however, it is Tehran that wants to make a deal, not Washington. On Wednesday the President said:

“They’re getting hit so hard, and they want to make a deal — but I say they’re not ready to make a deal because every time they make a deal they want to change it and everything. They’re not ready.”


User Registration

By clicking “Register” above, you agree to the Terms of Use & Privacy Policy.