Iran on Thursday rejected a U.S. ceasefire proposal delivered in Tehran by Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, hours before the U.S. Central Command completed a 13th consecutive night of strikes on Iranian military targets, according to Iranian and Iraqi officials cited by The New York Times, deepening the collapse of an interim deal Washington and Tehran signed last month. Iranian officials told The Times they were not interested in a “temporary deal” that left the status of the Strait of Hormuz unresolved, a sticking point that has driven the fighting since a June memorandum of understanding unraveled.
The proposal was drafted after al-Zaidi met with President Donald Trump at the White House earlier this month and was carried to Tehran on Wednesday, where the prime minister met with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. Trump signaled hours earlier that he was in no hurry to close a deal. In a brief interview, he told Axios he was considering a “massive attack. Bigger than ever before” and that Iran “hasn’t received enough pain yet.” Two U.S. officials told Axios no order had been given.
