Iran turns down US ceasefire proposal delivered by Iraqi premier: Report

Iran on Thursday rejected a US ceasefire proposal delivered by Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, the New York Times reported, as fighting between the two countries continued for nearly two weeks.

Citing Iranian and Iraqi officials familiar with the matter, the newspaper said al-Zaidi carried the proposal during a visit to Tehran after recently meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House.

The report said details of the proposal were unclear, but Iranian officials described it as the only proposal currently offered.

Tehran rejected it, they reportedly said, because it did not resolve the issue of control over the Strait of Hormuz.

Al-Zaidi's trip was his first official visit to Iran since taking office in May. He traveled with a high-level ministerial delegation and met with President Masoud Pezeshkian as the two sides discussed bilateral ties, regional developments and efforts to strengthen security and stability.

Iranian officials said the talks also covered the implementation of previously signed agreements, with both governments calling for broader cooperation in trade, energy, transportation and regional affairs.

According to Iranian media, al-Zaidi also met with Iran's chief negotiator and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

The report said Iranian officials were preparing for the possibility of a wider conflict if Trump follows through on threats to strike Tehran and additional critical infrastructure.

The newspaper said two Iranian officials told it that such attacks would prompt Tehran to expand the war regionally, including by targeting Tel Aviv and asking Yemen's Houthi group to close the Bab al-Mandab Strait.

US forces launched strikes against Iranian targets for the 13th consecutive night early Friday, US Central Command (CENTCOM) has announced.

On Wednesday, Iranian authorities put the death toll from the ongoing US strikes at 53, with 592 others injured.

Regional tensions have escalated over the past two weeks after Trump announced on July 8 that the ceasefire outlined in last month's US-Iran memorandum of understanding was no longer in effect.

Since then, the US and Iran have exchanged strikes, with Washington targeting sites inside Iran while Tehran says it has attacked US military facilities and equipment across several countries in the region.

The confrontation has disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, threatened global energy supplies and prompted intermittent airspace closures and growing warnings of attacks on US facilities and interests beyond the Middle East.