Amid reports of a ceasefire proposal presented by the United States to Iran, from Pakistani authorities, the war in the Middle East entered its 26th day this Wednesday, 25th.
Tehran denies any negotiations and maintains a confrontational tone, while Israel claims to have intensified attacks on military targets in the Iranian capital. At the same time, the Revolutionary Guards and Hezbollah report direct actions against Israeli targets.
Ceasefire proposal
Iran has welcomed the 15-point proposal forwarded by the US to reach a ceasefire in the war, two Pakistani officials said on Wednesday.
Pakistani officials described the proposal broadly as covering sanctions relief, civil nuclear cooperation, scaling back Iran’s nuclear program, monitoring by the International Atomic Energy Agency, limits on missiles and shipping access to the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow passage connecting the Persian Gulf.
Employees spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to disclose the details.
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Iran has insisted it is not involved in negotiations with the United States and a military spokesman mocked American diplomatic efforts on Wednesday.
Iranian military spokesman mocks US attempts at compromise
An Iranian military spokesman mocked US attempts to reach a ceasefire agreement on Wednesday, insisting that the Americans were negotiating only among themselves.
Lt. Col. Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesman for the Khatam Al-Anbiya Central Headquarters of the Iranian Armed Forces, made the statement in a pre-recorded video shown on state television.
“The strategic power you talked about so much has turned into a strategic failure,” he said. “Anyone who calls themselves a global superpower would have gotten out of this mess if they could. Don’t try to disguise defeat with an agreement. The era of empty promises has come to an end.”
He added: “Have your internal conflicts reached the point where you are negotiating with yourself?”
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Zolfaghari’s statement came shortly after the Trump administration sent Iran, through Pakistan, a 15-point ceasefire plan.
“Our first and last word has been the same since day one, and it will remain so: someone like us will never settle for someone like you,” he said. “Not now, not ever.”
“Stability in the region is guaranteed by the strong hand of our armed forces. Stability through strength,” Zolfaghari said.
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“We make this very clear: until it is our will, nothing will go back to the way it was. This will only happen when the mere idea of acting against the Iranian nation is completely eradicated from their corrupt minds.”
Iran says it fired missiles at Israel, Kuwait, Jordan and Bahrain
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they fired missiles at Israel, as well as at military bases housing American forces in Kuwait, Jordan and Bahrain, Iranian state television reported on Wednesday.
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A statement from the Revolutionary Guard, released by the state broadcaster IRIBstated that “targets in the heart of the occupied territories,” i.e. Israel, and American military bases in the region “have been struck by precision-guided missile systems, powered by liquid and solid fuel, and by attack drones.”
Hezbollah fires missiles at Israeli warplane
Hezbollah said on Wednesday that its air defense units fired surface-to-air missiles at an Israeli warplane carrying out strikes over southern Lebanon on Tuesday night.
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Hezbollah said the plane was forced to retreat, adding that it was the first time the group had fired surface-to-air missiles at an Israeli warplane since the start of the most recent war between Israel and Hezbollah on March 2.
Last week, Hezbollah claimed to have shot down an Israeli drone over the village of Baraachit, in the south of the country.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.
Iran also claimed to have used a new surface-to-air missile system during the war.
Israel claims to have attacked 2 naval missile production facilities in Tehran
The Israeli army announced on Wednesday that it attacked two naval cruise missile production facilities operated by the Iranian Ministry of Defense in Tehran.
“In recent days, the Israeli Air Force, acting on intelligence from the Israel Defense Forces, attacked two important naval cruise missile production sites in Tehran,” the military said.
According to the statement, the facilities were used to “develop and manufacture long-range naval cruise missiles, capable of quickly destroying targets at sea and on land.”
The attacks “represent another step in the deepening of the damage caused to the regime’s military production infrastructure”, the military added.
