Iran has dismissed a United States ceasefire proposal and put forward its own five-point negotiation plan, as diplomatic efforts continue amid escalating conflict. An anonymous Iranian official told state TV that Tehran had rejected the plan received via Pakistan, saying it would end the war on its own terms and continue fighting across the region until then.
Foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said the proposals had been passed to senior authorities but that Iran had no intention of negotiating for now. President Donald Trump, speaking at a fundraiser in Washington, insisted Tehran still wanted a deal, saying: “They are negotiating, by the way, and they want to make a deal so badly, but they’re afraid to say it because they figure they’ll be killed by their own people.”
China’s foreign minister, Wang Yi, urged dialogue in separate calls with his Turkish and Egyptian counterparts, saying that with both the US and Iran signalling a willingness to negotiate, a glimmer of hope for peace had emerged. Meanwhile, Israel’s military said it had completed a wide-scale wave of strikes across Iran, including in the central city of Isfahan, targeting infrastructure of the Iranian regime.
Iran’s five-point plan reportedly includes an end to fighting and the assassination of its officials, guarantees that no other war will be started against it, reparations for the conflict, and Iranian control over the Strait of Hormuz. The White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, said discussions were continuing and productive, adding that “it became clear that Iran wants to talk and President Trump is willing to listen”. She also suggested the US was sticking to its four- to six-week timeframe for ending the war.
The earlier 15-point US proposal, delivered via Pakistan and reported by the Associated Press, included sanctions relief, dismantling Tehran’s nuclear programme, restrictions on missile use and reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The White House said some points were in the plan, but others were not official. A senior Iranian official described the proposal as extremely maximalist and unreasonable, while Tehran continued to launch drones and missiles at Israel and Gulf states, including an attack sparking a fire at Kuwait international airport.
