Iran has reportedly rejected a US offer of a short-term ceasefire, according to an unnamed source cited by the country’s semi-official Fars news agency. As cited by Reuters, the source told Fars that the resolution, which called for a halt to hostilities for 48 hours, was put through an unnamed mediating nation on Wednesday. The rejection comes as the Middle East enters its fifth consecutive month of war, with no end in sight. Earlier on Friday (local time), Iran targeted another US aircraft near the Strait of Hormuz, shooting down an A-10 Warthog attack aircraft, US officials confirmed. The Iranian military claimed responsibility for the attack. This is the second US jet shot down by Iran this week, after an F-15 fighter plane was shot down in the previous attack.As the war has escalated, efforts to mediate between the two sides by regional countries, including Pakistan, have also failed to make progress. Iran has told mediators that it does not intend to hold talks with US officials in Islamabad in the coming days and considers the US demands unacceptable. Additionally, Türkiye and Egypt are also exploring alternative venues for possible discussions, with Qatar and Istanbul also being considered.Tension has also increased due to the recent comments of US President Donald Trump. A senior Iranian official rejected Trump’s claim that Iran’s “new regime president” had called for a ceasefire. In response, the official dismissed Trump’s social media posts saying, “The President of Iran’s new regime … has called for a ceasefire with the United States!”According to a senior Iranian source cited by Reuters, Tehran is instead pushing for a guaranteed ceasefire that would end the conflict permanently. The source said that although mediators reached out on Tuesday to continue diplomatic engagement, there was no discussion about a temporary ceasefire.Iranian officials have also publicly opposed Trump’s statements. The Consulate General of Iran in Mumbai criticized his remarks in a post on Twitter, saying, “On April Fool’s Day, it’s almost poetic that Donald Trump still managed to outdo the jokes; talking about a “new” Iran president when Dr. Pezeshkian has been in office the entire time.”“Reality check: Presidents aren’t replaced with tweets…that’s what elections are for,” it said.Meanwhile, Iran’s Foreign Ministry reiterated its stand and rejected the claim that Tehran had sought a ceasefire. “Trump’s statements about Iran’s ceasefire request are false and baseless,” spokesman Esmail Baqai was quoted as saying by state television.This development comes as the Middle East crisis has gone on for over a month and tensions are still rising. After the United States and Israel launched joint attacks on Iran, Tehran responded by blocking the key Strait of Hormuz, sending global oil markets into turmoil.