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Iran on Wednesday dismissed an American plan to pause the war in the Middle East, issuing its own counterproposal instead, as it launched more attacks on Israel and Gulf Arab countries.

Two officials from Pakistan described the 15-point US proposal broadly, saying it addressed sanctions relief, a rollback of Iran's nuclear programme, limits on missiles and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's oil is normally shipped.

Iran issued its own plan via state TV, which includes a halt to killings of its officials, means to make sure no other war is waged against it, reparations for the war, the end of hostilities and Iran's sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz.

“No negotiations have happened with the enemy until now, and we do not plan on any negotiations,” Iran's foreign minister later told state TV.

The death toll from the war has risen to more than 1,500 people in Iran, nearly 1,100 people in Lebanon, 16 in Israel and 13 US military members, as well as a number of civilians on land and sea in the Gulf region. Millions of people in Lebanon and Iran have been displaced.

Speaking at a fundraiser for Republicans in Washington, DC, Trump said Iran is still interested in cutting a deal.

“They are negotiating, by the way, and they want to make a deal so badly, but they're afraid to say it because they figure they'll be killed by their own people,” Trump said of Iran's leaders.

The president added: “They're also afraid they'll be killed by us,” before quipping that no one wanted to lead Iran for fear of being assassinated by the United States.

Iran's foreign minister says his government does not plan any negotiations to end the war

In an interview with Iranian state TV late Wednesday, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also said that no talks with the United States have taken place.

“No negotiations have happened with the enemy until now, and we do not plan on any negotiations,” he said.

Attacks by both Iran and its allied groups must stop, Arab countries say

While most of their previous statements focused primarily on drone and missile fire from Iran, Wednesday's statement by five Gulf nations and Jordan also condemned Iranian attacks “whether carried out directly or through their proxies and armed factions they support in the region”.

In a joint statement, they also urged Iraq to stop militias from launching attacks from its territory and reaffirmed their right to self-defense. The Gulf countries on the statement were Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain.

UN chief says a new envoy will be on the ground promoting mediation to end Iran war

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said his personal envoy, veteran French diplomat Jean Arnault, will lead “UN efforts on the conflict and its consequences”.

More than three weeks after Israel and the US launched attacks on Iran, the secretary-general said, “the war is out of control”.

“My message is that diplomacy must prevail,” Guterres said. “And diplomacy requires sincere dialogue.”

He said Arnault will be doing on the ground what he has been trying to do from New York — supporting all efforts for mediation and peace.

Arnault will be in contact with all the parties and will be looking at the war's impact on civilians in the region and beyond, Guterres said, including the economic turmoil, especially in less developed countries.

Meanwhile Jordan suspended residency of Iranian diplomat and denies accreditation of another

Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi told the state-owned Al-Mamlaka TV Wednesday that this measure is a clear message to Iran that their attacks against neighboring states are rejected.

Several countries in the region, including Saudi Arabia and Lebanon, have declared Iranian diplomats persona non grata following Tehran's attacks against their countries.

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Al-Safadi said Iran has launched dozens of missiles and drones toward Jordan during the war. He insisted Jordan does not host foreign military bases, a rationale Iran has repeatedly used to justify attacks against neighboring states, although Jordan does host what the minister described as forces “of allied and friendly nations with whom we cooperate on defense and training.”