US ‘negotiating with itself’, Iran mocks peace push

Iran has dismissed reported US proposals to end the Middle East conflict, with a military spokesman accusing Washington of ‘negotiating with yourselves’.

‘People like us can never agree with people like you,’ the spokesman, Ebrahim Zolfaghari, said on Wednesday, a day after US President Donald Trump claimed Tehran was seeking a deal.

The New York Times reported that Washington had sent Iran a 15-point plan to end the conflict. Israel’s Channel 12, citing three sources, said the US was seeking a month-long ceasefire to allow negotiations on the proposal.

The plan is said to include dismantling Iran’s nuclear programme, ending support for allied groups such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah and reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The disruption of shipping through the strait has sent shockwaves through global energy markets, pushed up fuel prices and affected air traffic.

(reuters, mja)