The United States has delivered a 15-point proposal to Iran aimed at ending the ongoing conflict, according to multiple reports Wednesday. According to Iranian state media, the ceasefire offer has been rejected by Iran.
The Associated Press, citing officials in Islamabad, reported that intermediaries passed the plan to Iranian authorities. The New York Times separately said the proposal outlines terms to end the war.
President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Washington and Tehran are “in negotiations right now,” adding that Iran appeared open to reaching a deal. He also said he pulled back from a recent threat to strike Iranian energy sites “based on the fact we’re negotiating.”
“They’re talking to us, and they’re talking sense,” Trump said in the Oval Office.
Iranian officials have a different tone. “As we have always said... no one like us will make a deal with you. Not now. Not ever,” military spokesperson Ebrahim Zolfaqari said on state television, according to Reuters. Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, also said earlier this week that “no negotiations have been held” with Washington.
The statements come as regional actors appear to be trying to open a diplomatic path. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said his government is willing to facilitate talks between the US and Iran, an offer Trump later amplified on social media.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt declined to confirm any role for Pakistan, saying, “These are sensitive diplomatic discussions and the United States will not negotiate through the news media.”
Reports indicate thousands of Marines are being deployed to the Middle East, and the Pentagon is preparing to send roughly 3,000 troops from the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division. The administration has also not backed off plans to seek a war-related supplemental funding package from Congress that could reach $200 billion.
“All announcements regarding troop deployments will come from the Department of War. As we have said, President Trump always has all military options at his disposal,” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said.
The Associated Press, citing officials in Islamabad, reported that intermediaries passed the plan to Iranian authorities. The New York Times separately said the proposal outlines terms to end the war.
President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Washington and Tehran are “in negotiations right now,” adding that Iran appeared open to reaching a deal. He also said he pulled back from a recent threat to strike Iranian energy sites “based on the fact we’re negotiating.”
“They’re talking to us, and they’re talking sense,” Trump said in the Oval Office.
Iranian officials have a different tone. “As we have always said... no one like us will make a deal with you. Not now. Not ever,” military spokesperson Ebrahim Zolfaqari said on state television, according to Reuters. Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, also said earlier this week that “no negotiations have been held” with Washington.
The statements come as regional actors appear to be trying to open a diplomatic path. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said his government is willing to facilitate talks between the US and Iran, an offer Trump later amplified on social media.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt declined to confirm any role for Pakistan, saying, “These are sensitive diplomatic discussions and the United States will not negotiate through the news media.”
Reports indicate thousands of Marines are being deployed to the Middle East, and the Pentagon is preparing to send roughly 3,000 troops from the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division. The administration has also not backed off plans to seek a war-related supplemental funding package from Congress that could reach $200 billion.
“All announcements regarding troop deployments will come from the Department of War. As we have said, President Trump always has all military options at his disposal,” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said.
