Iran Rejects US Ceasefire Proposal Delivered via Iraqi PM

Iran on Thursday (23/7/2026) was reported to have rejected a ceasefire proposal from the United States sent to Tehran via Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi. The rejection was reported by The New York Times (NYT), hours before the US Central Command (CENTCOM) concluded its thirteenth night of strikes against targets in Iran.

According to Iranian officials cited by the NYT, Tehran is not interested in a ‘temporary deal’ that leaves the status of the Strait of Hormuz without resolution — the sticking point that recently caused the memorandum between Iran and the US to fail in its implementation. The proposal brought by al-Zaidi to Tehran on Wednesday was drawn up after the Iraqi Prime Minister met US President Donald Trump at the White House earlier this month.

Hours before Iran’s rejection, Trump signalled that he was in no rush to reach a deal. In a briefing, Trump told Axios that he was considering a ‘massive strike’. According to Trump, such a strike would be larger than previous ones, and Iran ‘has not yet suffered enough pain’.

On Thursday night, CENTCOM completed its thirteenth wave of strikes, targeting Iranian military command centres, drone storage facilities, communication networks, coastal surveillance sites, and maritime capabilities. CENTCOM also claimed that the Strait of Hormuz remains open and that more than 50,000 US troops are operating in the Middle East.