Iran dismisses US ceasefire plan and issues its own counterproposal
Iran dismissed an American plan to pause the war in the Middle East and launched more attacks on Israel and Gulf Arab countries, including strikes that hit a fuel tank at Kuwait International Airport, sparking a fire.
Iran's defiance came as Israel launched airstrikes on Tehran and as the United States deployed paratroopers and more Marines to the region.
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in an interview on state TV that his government has not engaged in talks to end the war, "and we do not plan on any negotiations.” That followed a report from Iranian state TV's English-language broadcaster quoting an anonymous official as saying Iran rejected America’s ceasefire proposal and has its own demands for an end to the fighting.
Earlier, two officials from Pakistan, which transmitted the US plan to Iran, described the 15-point proposal broadly, saying it addressed sanctions relief, a rollback of Iran’s nuclear program, limits on missiles and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil is shipped.
An Egyptian official involved in the mediation efforts said the proposal also includes restrictions on Iran’s support for armed groups. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details not yet released.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt insisted the US and Iran are in talks even as Iranian officials deny it. “Talks continue. They are productive, as the president said on Monday, and they continue to be,” Leavitt said at a White House briefing Wednesday.
Leavitt warned that if talks with Iran don't pan out, US President Donald Trump “will ensure they are hit harder than they have ever been hit before.”
Some of the points in the US ceasefire proposal were nonstarters in negotiations before the war: Iran has insisted it won’t discuss its ballistic missile program or its support of regional militias, which it views as key to its security. And its ability to control passage through the Strait of Hormuz represents one of its biggest strategic advantages.
Iran’s attacks on regional energy infrastructure, along with its restrictions on the strait, have sent oil prices skyrocketing, putting pressure on the US to find a way to end the chokehold and calm markets.
