Iran dismisses ‘misleading’ NYT claims of US ceasefire proposal carried by Iraqi PM

An Iranian official has dismissed as "completely misleading" the New York Times report about a 10-day US ceasefire proposal presented by Iraq’s prime minister, stressing that the Islamic Republic has always been committed to diplomacy.

The New York Times claimed in a report on Thursday that Tehran rejected a ceasefire proposal from US President Donald Trump that was allegedly presented by Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi during his recent trip to Iran.

On Friday, the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) quoted an informed Iranian official as saying that the NYT report is “completely diversionary and misleading”.

“The problem of escalating conflict in the region stems solely from America’s breach of its agreements and the violation of the commitments outlined in the Memorandum of Understanding dated June 18,” the official said.

“Unlike the United States, which has used diplomacy as a tool for psychological-media games, and whose internal disputes among different factions within the US ruling establishment and the influence of the Zionist regime in its policymaking have created a kind of chaos in its decisions, Iran has always attached genuine importance to diplomacy.”

Al-Zaidi’s visit came one week after he met Trump at the White House.

During his trip to Tehran, al-Zaidi met President Masoud Pezeshkian; Iran’s top negotiator in the talks with US and the speaker of the Iranian parliament, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, and the country’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

Araghchi described the visit as significant given the current circumstances in the region, noting that the two countries share a border, had mutual economic, political and security interests and close ties.

Iran and Iraq signed four cooperation agreements and memoranda of understanding (MoU) during the visit, reaffirming their commitment to expanding mutual cooperation and deepening their long-term strategic partnership.

Over the past days, the terrorist US military has conducted waves of deadly strikes on Southern Iran and reinstated a blockade of Iranian ports in flagrant violation of a war-termination deal.

In response, Iranian armed forces have launched heavy reprisal attacks against strategic American targets across the region, declaring the Strait of Hormuz closed “until further notice” and at least until “the end of US interference in the region.”

The US and Israel launched an aggression against Iran on February 28, some eight months after carrying out unprovoked attacks on the country.

Iran swiftly retaliated by launching barrages of missiles and drones at the Israeli-occupied territories, as well as US bases and interests across the region.

Since then, the war has increasingly centered on the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping channel for about a fifth of the world's oil.

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