The media office of the Iraqi government denied on Friday that Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi had conveyed a proposal from US President Donald Trump to Iran for a ceasefire.

The New York Times had reported, citing unnamed Iranian and Iraqi officials, that Iran rejected a ceasefire proposal put forward by the US president and conveyed by the Iraqi prime minister during a visit to Tehran.

Al-Zaidi's office, in a brief statement, described what was mentioned in the newspaper's report as "baseless allegations that have no relation to reality."

The office said in a statement that the report contained incorrect information, calling on media outlets to "verify accuracy and rely on official sources, and not circulate unverified information attributed to anonymous sources."

The New York Times quoted Iranian officials as saying Tehran sees no benefit in a temporary agreement that leaves the issue of control over the Strait of Hormuz unresolved, while quoting Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi as saying the Iraqi prime minister presented his "views and impressions" after his visit to Washington, stressing that Iran and the United States already have enough mediators.

The Iraqi denial came at a time when the report spoke of rising tensions between the United States and Iran, with attacks and threats exchanged between the two sides, and quoted Iranian officials as saying Tehran is preparing for the possibility of an expanded confrontation if Washington carries out its threats to target Iranian infrastructure.

"); googletag.cmd.push(function() { onDvtagReady(function () { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-3341368-4'); }); }); }