The Latest: Iran dismisses US ceasefire plan and issues its own counterproposal
Iran on Wednesday dismissed an American plan to pause the war in the Middle East, issuing its own counterproposal instead, as it launched more attacks on Israel and Gulf Arab countries.
Two officials from Pakistan described the 15-point U.S. proposal broadly, saying it addressed sanctions relief, a rollback of Iran’s nuclear program, limits on missiles and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil is normally shipped.
Iran issued its own plan via state TV, which includes 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 Iran’s sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz.
“No negotiations have happened with the enemy until now, and we do not plan on any negotiations,” Iran’s foreign minister later told state TV.
The death toll from the war has risen to more than 1,500 people in Iran, nearly 1,100 people in Lebanon, 16 in Israel and 13 U.S. military members, as well as a number of civilians on land and sea in the Gulf region. Millions of people in Lebanon and Iran have been displaced.
Here is the latest:
Kuwait’s Ministry of Interior says the six people were allegedly linked to the Iran-backed Hezbollah group and were arrested for planning to carry out assassinations of leaders in the Gulf state.
The ministry said in a statement that five of those arrested are Kuwaiti citizens. It added that it identified 14 more members of the group who had fled the country: Five Kuwaitis, five Kuwaitis whose nationalities have been revoked, two Iranians and two Lebanese.
The arrested members confessed to espionage and to joining a terror group, the statement said, and have been referred to the public prosecutor.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, hosting his first monthly Christian worship service at the Pentagon since the Iran war began, prayed Wednesday to have “every round find its mark.”
Hegseth frequently invokes his evangelical faith as head of the armed forces, depicting a Christian nation trying to vanquish its foes with military might.
“Let every round find its mark against the enemies of righteousness and our great nation,” Hegseth prayed during the livestreamed service. “Give them wisdom in every decision, endurance for the trial ahead, unbreakable unity, and overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy.”
At least one Republican lawmaker is making it clear she does not support putting U.S. service members on the ground in Iran following a closed-door briefing with lawmakers overseeing the military.
Republican Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina posted on social media that she would “not support troops on the ground in Iran, even more so after this briefing.”
While few other Republicans have taken that stance, the GOP chairs of the committees overseeing the military expressed some frustration that they are not receiving enough information about plans as the war enters a potential escalation.
“I am more fearful than ever that we’re on a path to put troops on the ground in Iran,” said Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal, adding that “None of the president’s objectives can be accomplished without a physical presence there.”
In an interview with Iranian state TV late Wednesday, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also said that no talks with the United States have taken place.
“No negotiations have happened with the enemy until now, and we do not plan on any negotiations,” he said.
While most of their previous statements focused primarily on drone and missile fire from Iran, Wednesday’s statement by five Gulf nations and Jordan also condemned Iranian attacks “whether carried out directly or through their proxies and armed factions they support in the region.”
In a joint statement, they also urged Iraq to stop militias from launching attacks from its territory and reaffirmed their right to self-defense. The Gulf countries on the statement were Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said his personal envoy, veteran French diplomat Jean Arnault, will lead “U.N. efforts on the conflict and its consequences.”
More than three weeks after Israel and the U.S. launched attacks on Iran, the secretary-general said, “the war is out of control.”
“My message is that diplomacy must prevail,” Guterres said. “And diplomacy requires sincere dialogue.”
He said Arnault will be doing on the ground what he has been trying to do from New York — supporting all efforts for mediation and peace.
Arnault will be in contact with all the parties and will be looking at the war’s impact on civilians in the region and beyond, Guterres said, including the economic turmoil, especially in less developed countries.
Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi told the state-owned Al-Mamlaka TV Wednesday that this measure is a clear message to Iran that their attacks against neighboring states are rejected.
Several countries in the region, including Saudi Arabia and Lebanon, have declared Iranian diplomats persona non grata following Tehran’s attacks against their countries.
Al-Safadi said Iran has launched dozens of missiles and drones toward Jordan during the war. He insisted Jordan does not host foreign military bases, a rationale Iran has repeatedly used to justify attacks against neighboring states, although Jordan does host what the minister described as forces “of allied and friendly nations with whom we cooperate on defense and training.”
With Trump’s trip to China now rescheduled for May 14 and 15, the White House is also talking about its intent to host the Chinese president in Washington later this year.
Trump had been scheduled to travel to China later this month but previously announced he was delaying the trip so he could be in Washington to help steward the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran.
When asked if the new dates for Trump’s trip to China could suggest he believes the Iran war could end soon, his press secretary Leavitt offered an optimistic tone that the conflict could reach an endgame before he travels.
Leavitt also says the president and first lady Melania Trump plan to host Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife for a White House visit later this year.
But Leavitt declined to identify which Iranian or Iranians the administration is negotiating with. The press secretary also declined to comment on a 15-point ceasefire plan put forward by the United States that was rejected by Iran.
She cautioned White House reporters about “reporting about speculative points or speculative plans from anonymous sources.”
“The White House never confirmed that full plan,” Leavitt said, adding that “there are elements of truth to it, but some of the stories I read were not entirely factual.”
Yemen’s Iran-allied Houthi rebels repeated their support for the Islamic Republic despite not taking part in the war against the United States and Israel, stressing that any decision to join the fight would be made independently and not dictated by Tehran, according to Houthi officials.
Three Houthi officials told The Associated Press that the group is historically and religiously connected with Iran, calling it an ally of Yemen, but taking part in the war will be solely a Yemeni decision. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak to the media.
Houthi attacks on vessels during the Israel-Hamas war upended shipping in the Red Sea, through which about $1 trillion worth of goods passed each year before the war. The rebels also fired drones at Israel.
Leavitt declined to provide details on negotiations with Iran, saying it’s a sensitive issue that remains in flux.
She said there are “elements of truth” in a 15-point plan said to have been put forward by the United States, but also said some reports have been “not entirely factual.”
“I am not going to negotiate on behalf of the president here at the podium,” Leavitt said. “What I will tell you is these talks are ongoing.”
She cautioned White House reporters about “reporting about speculative points or speculative plans from anonymous sources.”
“The White House never confirmed that full plan,” Leavitt said, adding that “there are elements of truth to it, but some of the stories I read were not entirely factual.”
Saying that U.S. forces are “very close to meeting the core objectives” of the military action against Iran, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that “productive conversations” with Iran were ongoing but stressed that more strikes could come if they’re unsuccessful.
“If Iran fails to accept the reality of the current moment, if they fail to understand that they have been defeated militarily ... Trump will ensure they are hit harder than they have ever been hit before,” Leavitt said at a briefing Wednesday.
Trump has said that U.S. was in talks with Iran to end the war as diplomatic efforts picked up, and Iran issued a newly defiant statement.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt insisted the U.S. is in ongoing talks even as Iranian officials deny it.
“Talks continue. They are productive, as the president said on Monday, and they continue to be,” Leavitt said at a White House briefing on Wednesday.
Witnesses reported hearing several explosions in the holy city of Mashhad, eastern Iran.
Trump had been scheduled to travel to China for a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping later this month, but previously announced he was delaying the trip so he could be in Washington to help steward the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran.
The White House announced the rescheduled trip even though the war in Iran continues and the U.S. is pressing Tehran to accept a ceasefire proposal.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Wednesday that it would temporarily allow widespread sales of a higher-ethanol gas blend in a move that may tamp down consumer prices that have soared since the Iran war began.
Lawmakers from across the aisle had called for Trump’s EPA to approve the blend known as E15 in the summer to try to lower prices at the pump. Past administrations have taken similar measures, and the biofuel is already allowed in the summer in some states.
Not all experts are convinced the move will lower gas prices more than a few cents, and consumers may be trading lower costs at the pump for higher prices at the grocery store.
“Corn used for ethanol is corn that’s not used for food,” said University of Minnesota professor Jason Hill. Instead, he thinks this move is a signal of goodwill to farmers, coinciding with planting season, encouraging them to plant corn despite rising fertilizer and diesel costs.
The sale of E15 is typically limited during the summer months because it can contribute to harmful air pollution.
Flying debris killed one Palestinian and wounded seven others who had gathered to watch the airstrike, according to Al-Aqsa hospital.
Witnesses told The Associated Press they received warning calls from apparent Israeli military personnel prior to the strike, asking them to evacuate and move some 500 meters (yards) away from the tent camp.
AP video showed the powerful airstrike hitting right beside an area filled with tents for displaced Palestinians in central Gaza, sending a fireball and plumes of smoke into the sky. The damage caused by the strike did not deter Palestinians from approaching the area to inspect the aftermath, including nearby tents that were flattened.
It was not immediately clear what the Israeli military was targeting and it did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Gaza’s militants have sat out the current Iran conflict, although Israel continues to launch near-daily strikes in the war-torn Palestinian territory.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said the Iranians and Americans have their own views but Egypt believes those “differences are bridgeable” as Cairo keeps up contact with the warring parties.
During a news briefing on Wednesday, Abdelatty said Egypt hopes negotiations can resume soon as “this could be the last opportunity to de-escalate and avoid a full-fledged escalation in the region.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel is expanding an area it controls along southern Lebanon’s border with Israel, as fighting with Hezbollah continues and Israeli troops push through more villages in the area.
Netanyahu made the remarks during a meeting with local leaders from northern Israel, which has seen near-daily rocket fire from Lebanon, according to a statement from his office.
Israel occupied southern Lebanon from 1982 until 2000. Hezbollah was formed in the 1980s as a guerrilla force fighting that occupation.
Israel has moved several thousand troops into southern Lebanon in recent weeks in what it says is a defensive move to protect its northern border communities. Those troops have begun to move further north as Israel expands an operation it says is aimed at removing Hezbollah from southern Lebanon.
People streamed into a fire station in central Israel on Wednesday to donate blood to Israel’s emergency services. Beds lined the room as people lay on their backs for about 15 minutes hooked up to tubes.
“Unfortunately we have a situation that missiles and rockets are falling on top of our heads and part of the people are in a situation that they need the blood,” said Amit Israel who was donating blood.
While Israel’s emergency medical service, Magen David Adom, runs daily blood donations, it said that the number of people coming to donate has increased since the war began.
Gaya Levi Adam, who’s in charge of the donations, said the units of blood that are usually sent to hospitals has increased from about 1,200 units daily pre war time, to up to 1,700 in the last few weeks.
Kuwait’s acting Deputy Foreign Minister Aziz al-Daihani handed a protest note Wednesday to Iran’s ambassador in light of what he said were recurrent attacks against the Gulf country.
Hour earlier, an Iranian drone struck a fuel tank at Kuwait’s international airport, sparking a blaze that fire crews are still trying to contain, according to the country’s Defense Ministry.
This was the third time Kuwait summoned the Iranian ambassador since the war started. Al-Daihani reiterated his country’s condemnation of the Iranian attacks, and called for their immediate halt.
Kuwait has been a staunch U.S. ally since the 1991 Gulf War and hosts the forward headquarters of the U.S. Army in the Middle East.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif spoke by phone with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on Wednesday and briefed him on Pakistan’s diplomatic outreach and ongoing peace efforts, according to a statement from the prime minister’s office.
He emphasized that Pakistan has consistently called on all parties to de-escalate tensions and resolve differences through dialogue and diplomacy.
After Israel attacked Iran’s South Pars natural gas field last week, Iran hit Qatar’s massive natural gas export facility, which QatarGas said caused “extensive” damage that will take years to repair.
The Lebanese Health Ministry said 22 people had been killed over the past 24 hours.
At least 121 children and 81 women were among the dead in Lebanon, the ministry said. It said 153 people were also wounded over the past day, raising the total number of injured to 3,119.
In a strong statement Wednesday, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres blasted the various factions of the ongoing Middle East conflict, saying the fighting “has broken past limits even leaders thought imaginable.”
He specifically called on the U.S. and Israel, whose joint strikes last month started the war against Iran, to end the fighting as “human suffering deepens, civilian casualties mount, and the global economic impact is increasingly devastating.”
Guterres added, “My message to Iran is to stop attacking their neighbors.”
He also announced the appointment of a personal envoy to the lead the world body’s efforts on the conflict and the recent peace efforts that are underway.
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson said Wednesday that the war in Iran is “wrapping up” and “the objectives have been met,” even as he described U.S. troop buildup in the Middle East as a warning to Iran.
“The buildup of troops is very different than boots on the ground,” said Johnson. “We don’t have boots on the ground. I don’t think that’s the intention, but I think Iran should watch that build up and they need to take note of that.”
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty reacted to Iran’s rejection to the ceasefire, saying Egypt will continue it’s efforts to help bring views from the warring parties closer to reaching a compromise and working out their differences.
Egypt supports President Trump’s peace initiative to open the door with the Iranian side for negotiations and is actively working on achieving a ceasefire in Iran, with Abdelatty saying “there’s no winning party in this dangerous escalation.”
Abdelatty said Egypt is in touch with the Iranians through one channel, which is through the Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi.
“History taught us that military solutions is not the answer,” he said during a news briefing in Cairo on Wednesday. “We believe with good intention and political will and with seriousness from both sides, they can exchange views and reach compromise.”
Iran’s defiance came as Israel launched airstrikes on Tehran and Washington deployed paratroopers and more Marines to the region.
Iranian state television’s English-language broadcaster, Press TV, quoted an anonymous official as saying Iran rejected America’s ceasefire proposal. Press TV’s report came after Pakistan transmitted the proposal to Iran.
“Iran will end the war when it decides to do so and when its own conditions are met,” Press TV quoted the official as saying. The official added Tehran will continue its “heavy blows” across the Mideast.
Press TV, like all of state TV channels controlled by hard-liners, offered its own five-point plan from the official who rejected the U.S. 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 Iran’s “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.
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