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The United States submitted a 15-point ceasefire proposal to Iran through Pakistani intermediaries on Wednesday, even as Iran’s military publicly mocked the diplomatic gesture, launching fresh attacks on Israel and the Gulf region and declaring that Washington was “negotiating with itself” — a collision of diplomatic signaling and continued combat that briefly calmed oil markets before the military’s rejection restored most of the session’s gains.
The ceasefire plan was submitted to Iran by intermediaries from Pakistan, who have offered to host renewed negotiations, according to a person briefed on the contours of the proposal who spoke on condition of anonymity. Israeli officials, who have been advocating for Trump to continue the war against Iran, were surprised by the submission of the ceasefire plan. The White House did not respond to requests for comment. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif publicly confirmed his country’s mediating role on X, writing: “Pakistan welcomes and fully supports ongoing efforts to pursue dialogue to end the war in the Middle East. Subject to concurrence by the US and Iran, Pakistan stands ready and honored to be the host to facilitate.”
Iran’s military responded with ridicule. “Has the level of your inner struggle reached the stage of you negotiating with yourself?” the top spokesperson for Iran’s joint military command, Ebrahim Zolfaghari, said on Iranian state television, addressing Trump. “People like us can never get along with people like you. As we have always said, no one like us will make a deal with you. Not now. Not ever.” Iran’s Foreign Ministry separately told reporters it was “responding to requests through intermediaries of friendly countries” while denying formal negotiations were under way — a formulation that NPR and other outlets described as a distinction without a clear operational difference.
Iranian missions in New York said Iran would allow the passage of what it described as “non-hostile vessels” through the Strait of Hormuz — the first public signal of any modification to the effective blockade since it was imposed on February 28. The announcement was vague enough to be interpreted either as a meaningful concession to calm markets or as a tactical maneuver to extract diplomatic leverage, and analysts immediately debated which interpretation was more credible. Iran’s own crude exports, carried on Chinese-flagged tankers, have continued at approximately 1.5 million barrels per day throughout the conflict.
Read Also: Iran Threatens To ‘Completely’ Close Strait Of Hormuz
Brent crude oil fell toward $100 a barrel in morning trading on ceasefire hopes, having traded as high as $120 per barrel at various points since the war began. That remains up nearly 40 percent from pre-war levels. US stock index futures rose. By midday in Asia, however, the market gains had faded as Iran’s military statements and continued strikes undercut confidence that the ceasefire plan had any immediate prospect of success.
Iran launched a new wave of attacks against targets in Israel including Tel Aviv and Kiryat Shmona, and struck US bases in Kuwait, Jordan, and Bahrain. In Kuwait, a drone hit a fuel tank at Kuwait International Airport, sparking a fire without casualties. Saudi Arabia’s defense ministry said it had destroyed at least eight drones over its oil-rich Eastern Province. Israel simultaneously announced wide-scale strikes on Iran targeting government infrastructure, with witnesses reporting explosions in the northwestern city of Qazvin and in northern and central Tehran. Israel said its air force struck two naval cruise missile production sites in the capital. Iran’s SNN News Agency reported rescuers searching rubble in a residential area of Tehran following the strikes.
Any talks between the US and Iran would face monumental challenges. Many of Washington’s shifting objectives, particularly over Iran’s ballistic missile and nuclear programs, remain difficult to achieve. It is not clear who in Iran’s government has the authority to negotiate — or would be willing to, as Israel has vowed to continue killing the country’s leaders. Iran remains deeply suspicious of the United States, which attacked twice during periods of high-level diplomatic activity — once in the 2020 killing of Qasem Soleimani, and again on February 28, 2026, three days after Oman’s foreign minister had announced that a “breakthrough” had been reached and talks were expected to resume on March 2.
Read Also: Trump Eases Iran Oil Sanctions To Curb Global Price Surge
US and Israeli forces also granted temporary immunity from targeting to two Iranian officials — Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf — for at least the duration of the five-day negotiation period, according to Israel’s Channel 14. The temporary immunity was understood as a practical precondition for any diplomatic process: negotiators cannot function while they are active military targets.
The US also began moving parachute troops to the Middle East to back up a contingent of Marines heading there Wednesday, a force buildup that occurred simultaneously with the ceasefire diplomacy — a combination that US officials have previously characterized as consistent policy but that Iranian officials cited as evidence that Washington’s diplomatic signals could not be trusted.
Trump told reporters Tuesday the US was in “negotiations” with “the right people” in Iran and that the Iranians wanted to reach a deal very badly. He described an unspecified Iranian offer as “a very significant prize” related to the Strait of Hormuz without elaborating further. NPR confirmed that intermediaries including Pakistan, Egypt, and Turkey have been relaying messages between the parties and are playing a role in efforts toward de-escalation, despite Iran’s public denial of negotiations. The war’s 26th day has produced the most credible diplomatic signal since fighting began, but not yet a ceasefire.
