Iranian officials reject US ceasefire proposal as troop deployments loom
QWER
Iranian state televisions English-language broadcaster quoted an anonymous official on Wednesday saying that Iran had rejected Americas 15-point ceasefire proposal.
Pakistani officials described the proposal broadly as touching on sanctions relief, civilian nuclear cooperation, a rollback of Irans nuclear program, monitoring by the International Atomic Energy Agency, missile limits and access for shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf.
The Trump administration reportedly offered the plan to Iran as the U.S. appears to seek an end to the war even while more troops head to the Middle East. At least 1,000 troops from the 82nd Airborne Division will be sent to the Mideast in the coming days, three people with knowledge of the plans told The Associated Press. The Pentagon is also in the process of deploying two Marine units that will add about 5,000 Marines and thousands of sailors to the region.
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Press TV, like all of state TV channels controlled by hard-liners, offered its own five-point plan from the official who rejected the US proposal.
It included a halt to killings of its officials, means to make sure no other war is waged against it, reparations for the war, the end of hostilities and Irans exercise of sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz.
Those measures, particularly reparations and its continued chokehold over the Strait of Hormuz, likely will be unacceptable to the White House as energy supplies worldwide remain affected by the war.
The plan was submitted to Iran by intermediaries from the government of Pakistan, which has offered to host renewed negotiations between Washington and Tehran, a person briefed on the plan's contours but who was not authorized to speak publicly told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
Any talks between the U.S. and Iran would face monumental challenges. Many of Washingtons shifting objectives, particularly over Irans ballistic missile and nuclear programs, remain difficult to achieve, and it is not clear who in Irans government has the authority or would be willing to negotiate.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchis office said he has been discussing the war this week with several counterparts, but Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, the speaker of Irans Parliament, denied Trumps claim of direct talks and an Iranian military spokesperson declared that the fighting would go on.
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Alluding to progress in talks, U.S. President Donald Trump claimed Iran shared an oil- and gas-related present, a day after telling reporters that the Middle Eastern nation is eager for a deal to end the war.
