Iraq has denied reports that it was mediating to secure a ceasefire between Washington DC and Tehran.The Iraqi Prime Minister’s media office said the “claims” in the New York Times report published on Thursday were “completely baseless and had no connection to reality”, according to a statement published by the Iraqi News Agency (INA).The NYT, citing Iranian and Iraqi officials familiar with the matter, reported that Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi conveyed the proposal during a visit to Tehran after meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House earlier this month.Tehran ultimately rejected the proposal, the officials reportedly said, because it did not address the issue of who controls the Strait of Hormuz.Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi meanwhile spoke on the sidelines of a meeting of the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in Kyrgyzstan.“Consultations with Russia and China are ongoing and continuous and we regularly consult with our friends in China and Russia whenever there is an opportunity,” he told reporters, in comments reported by Iran’s Tasnim news agency.He added that the problem with moving forward in peace talks was “the American approach”. “Preserving Iran’s interests in the Strait of Hormuz is among our principles and we are committed to them,” he added. “As long as the legitimate goals and demands of the Iranian people are not met, it is natural that we continue our efforts.”Meanwhile, US and Iran continued to trade missile and drone strikes against each other. Iran launched attacks on Bahrain, Kuwait and the Al-Azraq US Airbase in Jordan.An Omani delegation has arrived in Iran to discuss mechanisms to manage ship traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian state media has reported.Earlier, the US Central Command said it had concluded air strikes against Iran for the 13th consecutive night, with Iranian media reporting blasts in several cities, including Khorramabad, Jask, Ahvaz, Bandar Abbas, as well as Qeshm Island.A US missile strike near Ahvaz left four people dead and five injured, while additional strikes on Khorramabad and the port city of Bandar Abbas resulted in two injuries at each site, according to Iranian media.