Iran War Day 26: USPS announces 8% surcharge amid rising fuel prices as Iran rejects US ceasefire plan

On the 26th day of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, Iranian state media said Tehran rejected a 15-point U.S. ceasefire proposal and issued an onerous list of counterdemands. The White House said “productive” talks are ongoing and warned of harsher strikes if Iran does not concede. Meanwhile, the United States Postal Service (USPS) announced it is imposing an 8% surcharge on shipments to cover rising fuel prices due to the Iran war. 

Iran turns down ceasefire plan and outlines counterproposal, state TV reports

An Iranian state TV report indicated Iran rejected a 15-point ceasefire proposal from the U.S., instead putting forward its own five-point counterproposal.

The report quoted a regime official as saying, “Iran will end the war when it decides to do so and when its own conditions are met.” According to the outlet, the official added that, in the meantime, Tehran will continue its “heavy blows” across the Mideast. 

AP News reported that Pakistani officials, who delivered the U.S. proposal, confirmed earlier in the day that Tehran received it. The Pakistanis said the plan called for sanctions relief, curbs on Iran’s nuclear program and ballistic missiles, and the reopening of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, as reported by AP. It also sought limits on Iran’s support for regional terrorist groups, an Egyptian official involved in the mediation efforts said. 

Iran’s state TV report gave a five-point plan from the anonymous official who rejected the U.S. proposal:

• A complete halt to aggression and targeted killings

• Concrete mechanisms to prevent any further war against Iran 

• Reparations for the war

• An end to hostilities on all fronts, including for allied resistance groups 

• International recognition of Iran’s sovereign authority over the Strait of Hormuz 

Later in the day, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the Trump administration has “never confirmed” reports of a full 15-point ceasefire plan and cautioned White House reporters about “reporting about speculative points or speculative plans from anonymous sources.” 

“There are elements of truth to it,” she added of the reported 15-point plan from the U.S., “but some of the stories I read were not entirely factual.”

USPS announces 8% surcharge on shipments, citing fuel cost spikes tied to Iran war

The USPS announced March 25 that it is slated to impose “a time-limited price change to better align its costs of transportation with the market,” citing “increasing” fuel prices resulting from the Iran war. 

“The planned price change,” USPS explained, “is an 8 percent increase that would affect base postage prices on the following retail and commercial domestic competitive products: Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail, USPS Ground Advantage, and Parcel Select.” 

Once approved by the Postal Regulatory Commission, the additional price would go into effect April 26 and remain in place at least until January 2027, when “the Postal Service can determine if a different long-term approach is needed.”

CBS News noted in a report on the price increase that the fuel prices USPS is attempting to cover by increasing its consumer pricing is already weighing on consumers themselves. “The average U.S. gas price is nearing $4 a gallon, up more than $1 from a month ago, according to AAA,” the outlet reported. “The cost of diesel has jumped even more and now averages $5.37 a gallon, up from $3.75 a month ago.”

Top Republican criticizes Pentagon for failing to give lawmakers enough info about US operation 

Republican Rep. Mike Rogers of Alabama, who chairs the House Armed Services Committee, criticized the Pentagon for withholding critical details about U.S. military operations during a classified briefing on Iran. Rogers – who has backed Trump’s decision to strike Iran – specifically raised concerns about the extra troops the Pentagon is reportedly preparing to send to the Middle East, Politico reported.

According to Politico reporter Connor O’Brien, Rogers told reporters after the briefing that, “We want to know more about what’s going on, what the options are, and why they’re being considered, and we’re just not getting enough answers on those questions.”

After the briefing – where defense officials were expected to brief members of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees – one Republican voiced concerns about the conflict spiraling into a ground war with Iran. House Armed Services Republican Nancy Mace of South Carolina said on X that she “will not support troops on the ground in Iran, even more so after this briefing.”

House speaker says Iran should ‘take note’ of US troop buildup 

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said that while the U.S. military does not have boots on the ground in the Middle East, Iranian officials should “take note” of the buildup of American troops in the region. He also called on Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to commercial oil and gas shipping.

Johnson said he believes the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran is nonetheless “almost done” because the “objectives have been met.”

UN chief says conflict has ‘gone too far’ 

United Nations Secretary General Post António Guterres strongly criticized the Iran war in a March 25 X post, saying it has “gone too far” and urging all parties involved to end the fighting.

“My message to the US & Israel is that it’s high time to end the war – as human suffering deepens, civilian casualties mount & the global economic impact is increasingly devastating,” Guterres said. “My message to Iran is to stop attacking their neighbors that are not parties to the conflict.”