Iraq has denied a media report that it is mediating efforts to secure a ceasefire between Washington and Tehran, Al Jazeera reports.

The Iraqi prime minister’s media office says the “claims” in a New York Times report published on Thursday are “completely baseless and had no connection to reality”, according to a statement published by the Iraqi News Agency.

The office urges media outlets “to verify information, rely on official sources and refrain from circulating unsubstantiated reports or claims attributed to anonymous sources”.

Citing Iranian and Iraqi officials familiar with the matter, the US newspaper 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.

The report said details were unclear, but Iranian officials had described it as the only proposal currently on the table.

Tehran ultimately rejected the proposal, the officials reportedly said, because it did not address the issue of who controls the Strait of Hormuz.