Baghdad on Friday denied a report published by The New York Times that said Iran had rejected a US ceasefire offer presented by the Iraqi prime minister, calling it "completely baseless."

These developments come amid rising tensions between the United States and Iran over Tehran's nuclear program and its regional role.

The same newspaper had reported Thursday, citing unnamed Iranian and Iraqi officials, that Tehran rejected the agreement, explaining that Iranian officials declared they did not want a temporary agreement that leaves the issue of the Strait of Hormuz unresolved.

A statement from the media office of the Iraqi prime minister on Friday confirmed that the aforementioned claims "have no connection to reality."

The office called on all media outlets to "ensure accuracy and rely on official sources, and not to circulate undocumented information attributed to anonymous sources."

Tehran also denounced the report as "misleading," according to what the official Iranian news agency (IRNA) quoted an unidentified Iranian official as saying, who said that "the problem of escalating conflict in the region stems solely from the United States breaking its promises."

Iraq has been seeking for some time to play a mediating role between Washington and Tehran to ease tensions in the region. Fears are mounting of a military confrontation that could affect the safety of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. These reports come at a time when US-Iran relations are at a standstill after Washington's withdrawal from the nuclear deal. Observers say that the rejection of any temporary agreement could further complicate the situation.