{"id":220810,"date":"2026-07-24T08:38:17","date_gmt":"2026-07-24T08:38:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/220810\/"},"modified":"2026-07-24T08:38:17","modified_gmt":"2026-07-24T08:38:17","slug":"iran-said-to-threaten-israel-reject-us-ceasefire-proposal-passed-along-by-iraqi-pm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/220810\/","title":{"rendered":"Iran said to threaten Israel, reject US ceasefire proposal passed along by Iraqi PM"},"content":{"rendered":"

Iran on Thursday rejected a ceasefire proposal passed along from the United States by Iraqi mediators, The New York Times reported, citing Iranian and Iraqi officials, as the US staged its 13th straight night of strikes against the Islamic Republic.<\/p>\n

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi had traveled to Iran that day, with a proposal formulated shortly after he met with US President Donald Trump in the White House earlier this month.<\/p>\n

Iranian officials told the newspaper, however, that they were not interested in a \u201ctemporary deal\u201d that would not address the final status of the Strait of Hormuz, a key sticking point in negotiations.<\/p>\n

Al-Zaidi\u2019s office said he visited Tehran to call for peace and dialogue, and promised not to allow Iraqi territory to be used for attacks on Iran.<\/p>\n

Trump, meanwhile, warned that the United States would use Iranian money under Washington\u2019s possession or control to pay for \u201cany and all damages\u201d done to ships and cargo by strikes in and around the Gulf.<\/p>\n

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\u201cPlease let this statement serve to represent, until further notice, that from this point forth, any and all damages done to Ships, Cargo, or anything related thereto, will be paid for by Iranian Money that the United States has in its possession, and controls,\u201d Trump wrote on the Truth Social platform.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\tPresident Donald Trump holds a championship ring during an event to honor the 2025 World Series champions Los Angeles Dodgers in the Rose Garden of the White House, July 23, 2026, in Washington. (AP\/Alex Brandon)<\/p>\n

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded: \u201cSeizing another nation\u2019s assets to pay for unrelated future claims is an incendiary precedent.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThose who celebrate or profit from such funds should remember: once governments normalize confiscation, no one\u2019s assets are safe,\u201d Araghchi wrote on social media. \u201cEnsuing chaos will not be pretty or peaceful.\u201d<\/p>\n

Iran officials: Escalation would mean striking Tel Aviv<\/p>\n

Two Iranian officials cited by The Times warned that the next stage of the escalation in fighting between Washington and Tehran would include Iran striking Tel Aviv.<\/p>\n

The newspaper reported the officials saying that if Trump follows through with his threats to hit Tehran as well as infrastructure in Iran, the Islamic Republic will retaliate by striking Tel Aviv and ask the Houthi rebel group in Yemen to impose a maritime blockade on the Bab al-Mandab strait.<\/p>\n

During the first stage of the war, which began on February 28, the IDF took part in the strikes on Iran and Tehran fired hundreds of ballistic missiles at Israel. But Israel has been sitting out the current renewal in fighting and Iran has not struck the Jewish state in recent weeks.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\tIsraeli security and rescue forces at the scene where a missile fired from Iran at Israel caused damage in Tel Aviv, March 22, 2026. (Flash90)<\/p>\n

Overnight Thursday-Friday, the US launched its 13th consecutive night of strikes on Iran, its Central Command announced.<\/p>\n

The attacks on Iranian military targets \u201caimed to hold Iran accountable and diminish threats from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to commercial shipping,\u201d CENTCOM said.<\/p>\n

The strikes \u201ctargeted Iranian military command centers, drone storage facilities, communication networks, coastal surveillance sites and maritime capabilities,\u201d it added in a later statement.<\/p>\n

Iranian state media reported that US missiles hit the southwestern city of Ahvaz, and explosions were heard in nearby Omidiyeh, as well as the port city of Bandar Abbas and the island of Qeshm in the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n

The wave of strikes lasted more than two hours, and concluded shortly before 5 a.m. local time, according to CENTCOM.<\/p>\n

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) has announced the completion of the 13th consecutive night of strikes against targets in Iran designed to diminish the threat that Iran poses to commercial shipping in the region. pic.twitter.com\/fjbZvzXvHw<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) July 24, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Some hours later, around 8 a.m. Israel time, Bahrain activated its sirens, warning residents to shelter from detected fire.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cThis morning, the fuel tanks, large equipment warehouses and silos and the barracks of the US terrorist army forces at the Isa Air Base in Bahrain were targeted by Arash kamikaze drones,\u201d the army said in a statement carried by state TV.<\/p>\n

The Gulf states have come under frequent fire over the past week as the US and Iran exchange escalating strikes in fighting that began with a struggle over control of the strategic Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n

The Iranian army also claimed drone attacks against Jordan, targeting \u201caircraft hangars, aviation maintenance hangars and a barracks\u201d at Al-Azraq base. Jordan had not reported any strikes in the previous few hours, however.<\/p>\n

Additionally, several blasts sounded near Erbil airport, which hosts US-led coalition troops in Iraq\u2019s autonomous Kurdistan region, an AFP journalist said.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\tAn airplane model at a roundabout near Erbil airport in the capital of Iraq\u2019s autonomous northern Kurdish region on April 15, 2021. (Safin Hamid \/ AFP)<\/p>\n

Explosions were heard after air defenses were activated, according to the journalist, who also saw drones hovering over the city and smoke rising in the airport area.<\/p>\n

Since hostilities resumed in the Middle East, drones have repeatedly been intercepted over Erbil, which is also home to a major US consulate complex.<\/p>\n

Iran threatens any country aiding US in attacks<\/p>\n

On Friday, Araghchi said Iran would hold accountable any country assisting the US in an attack on the Islamic republic.<\/p>\n

\u201cAny participation, cooperation or assistance in committing aggression against Iran will create international responsibility for the relevant parties,\u201d Araghchi said at a meeting in Kyrgyzstan, adding that Iran \u201creserves its right to take all necessary measures within the framework of self-defense.\u201d<\/p>\n

Iran\u2019s Revolutionary Guards recently threatened the United Kingdom for allowing US bombers to fly from UK bases.<\/p>\n

The UK responded early Friday, saying its military was \u201cready to keep the United Kingdom safe from any kind of attacks, whether it\u2019s on our soil or from abroad,\u201d using its own assets and working closely with NATO allies.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\tIranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi speaks during a news conference with his Iraqi counterpart Fouad Hussein after their meeting at the foreign ministry in Baghdad, Iraq, June 28, 2026. (AP\/Hadi Mizban)<\/p>\n

Iran has similarly threatened Bulgaria, whose parliament recently voted to allow the US to station refueler planes on its territory but which, it has insisted, will not be used to directly launch attacks.<\/p>\n

The US and Israel launched their campaign against Iran on February 28, aiming to degrade the Iranian regime\u2019s military capabilities, distance threats posed by Iran \u2014 including its nuclear and ballistic missile programs \u2014 and \u201ccreate the conditions\u201d for the Iranian people to topple the regime, the Israel Defense Forces and Israeli leaders have said.<\/p>\n

Despite a ceasefire and subsequently reached US-Iran memorandum of understanding \u2014 which Israel was not part of negotiating, but deferred to \u2014 attacks have restarted in recent weeks.<\/p>\n

Trump said on Thursday that he is considering ordering the largest US attack on Iran yet, adding that Israel would join the strikes upon his request. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was expected to convene top ministers and aides for a national security meeting on Friday.<\/p>\n

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