LIVE: Iran rejects US truce proposal, sets conditions of its own: Report

Iranian state television's English-language broadcaster quoted an anonymous official on Wednesday saying that Iran had rejected America's 15-point ceasefire proposal.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty reacted to Iran's rejection to the ceasefire, saying Egypt will continue its efforts to help bring views from the warring parties closer to reaching a compromise and working out their differences.

Abdelatty said Egypt is in touch with the Iranians through one channel, which is through the Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi.

“History taught us that military solutions is not the answer,” he said during a news briefing in Cairo on Wednesday. “We believe with good intention and political will and with seriousness from both sides, they can exchange views and reach compromise.”

Khalid al-Yaqoubi, security advisor to Iraq's prime minister, says his country will file a sovereignty complaint to the United Nations Security Council.

He told The Associated Press on Wednesday that Iraqi security forces have lost 80 members and 150 have been wounded since the Middle East war began February 28.

Al-Yaqoubi said the US has violated Iraq's airspace, while Iran is to blame for attacks against Kurdish forces in the country's north.

“We are against the aggression on Iran because it is not justified,” he said about the war that was launched by the US and Israel.

Amid supply constraints of LPG cylinders, the Odisha government has simplified approval processes for early execution of piped natural gas (PNG) distribution projects across cities in the state, officials said.

In a move to fast-track the expansion of clean energy infrastructure across urban Odisha, the Housing & Urban Development Department has issued a comprehensive order simplifying and expediting approval processes for city gas distribution projects, they said.

According to the order, Urban Local Bodies have been directed to waive permission fees for laying underground pipelines and related City Gas Distribution infrastructure.

Additionally, no fresh permissions will be required for ongoing or already sanctioned works, thereby removing procedural delays and ensuring continuity in project execution, it said.

Amid the West Asia conflict, a total of 1,043 Indian nationals, including 717 students, have crossed out of Iran with the assistance of the mission in Tehran, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Wednesday.

At an inter-ministerial briefing here on the West Asia situation, Aseem R Mahajan, Additional Secretary (Gulf), MEA, also said the overall flight situation continues to improve, and that around 4.26 lakh passengers have returned from the region to India since February 28.

“During this period, a total of 2,149 flights, including scheduled and non-scheduled flights of Indian as well as foreign carriers, have operated from the region to India,” he said.

The MEA said it continues to closely monitor the evolving situation in the Gulf and the West Asia region.

Most Americans believe recent US military action against Iran has gone too far, and many are worried about affording gasoline, according to a new AP-NORC poll.

The survey from The Associated Press-NORC Centre for Public Affairs Research indicates that while President Donald Trump's approval rating is holding steady, the conflict could be swiftly turning into a major political liability for his Republican administration.

While Trump is deploying more warships and troops to West Asia, about 59 per cent of Americans say US military action in Iran has been excessive.

Meanwhile, 45 per cent are “extremely” or “very” concerned about being able to afford gas in the next few months, up from 30 per cent in an AP-NORC poll conducted shortly after Trump won re-election with promises that he would improve the economy and lower the cost of living.

There is significant support for at least one of the president's objectives, which is preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

About two-thirds of Americans say that should be an “extremely” or “very” important foreign policy goal for the US. However, they are just as likely to say it's important to keep US oil and gas prices from rising, a juxtaposition that could be difficult for the White House to manage.

With a rebound in the stock market, investors’ wealth has surged by Rs 15.80 lakh crore in two days following a sharp decline in crude oil prices and hopes of de-escalation in the West Asia war.

Stock markets have been rallying for the past two trading days, with the BSE Sensex climbing 2,577.06 points or 3.54 per cent. On Wednesday, the 30-share BSE benchmark jumped 1,205 points or 1.63 per cent to settle at 75,273.45.

Thanks to optimism in investors' sentiment, the market capitalisation of BSE-listed companies climbed Rs 15,80,204.92 crore to Rs 4,31,01,834.74 crore (USD 4.59 trillion) in two days.