Tehran - Iran is still reviewing a US proposal to end the war in the Gulf, despite an initial response that was negative, a senior Iranian official said on Wednesday, indicating that Tehran had so far stopped short of rejecting it outright.
Publicly, Iranian officials poured withering scorn on the prospect of any negotiations with the administration of US President Donald Trump.
However, an apparent delay in delivering a formal response to Pakistan, which delivered a 15-point proposal on behalf of Washington, appeared to signal that at least some figures in Tehran may be considering it.
The senior Iranian official’s comments that the proposal was still under review - though the initial response was ‘not positive’ - appeared to contradict a report by Iran’s Press TV that cited an unidentified official as saying Iran had rejected it.
A senior Pakistani security official said that Pakistan had followed up with Iran’s foreign minister and was still awaiting a formal reply.
A view of a residential building damaged by a strike, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Tehran, Iran. (Pic: Reuters)