Iran states it is reviewing a ceasefire proposal, while US stock futures remain steady.

Investing.com - Iran says it is reviewing Washington’s proposed ceasefire to end Middle East conflicts, and U.S. stock index futures traded flat on Wednesday evening.

Following reports that Washington proposed a 15-point ceasefire plan to Iran, the market responded positively. Despite volatility during the Wall Street trading session, stocks ultimately closed higher, and futures remained relatively steady.

As of 8:19 p.m. Eastern Time (12:19 a.m. Beijing Time), the S&P 500 futures slightly declined to 6,639.25. Nasdaq 100 futures held steady at 24,371.0, and Dow futures dipped slightly to 46,689.0.

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Iran says it is reviewing U.S. ceasefire proposal

Iranian state media reported Wednesday evening that Iran is considering the U.S. ceasefire proposal but has no intention of negotiating to end Middle East conflicts.

Iranian Foreign Minister Amir Abdollahian said on national television that Iran is open to negotiations if Tehran’s demands are met, but emphasized that passing messages through mediators does not mean negotiations are underway.

The reports also indicated that Iran insists any ceasefire proposals with the U.S. and Israel must include Lebanon.

Abdollahian’s comments suggest Iran is somewhat open to a ceasefire, after initially rejecting Washington’s 15-point ceasefire proposal.

Mixed signals from Iran, Wall Street closes below intraday highs

Although Wall Street stocks closed higher on Wednesday, they retreated most of the gains made during the day after Iran largely rejected the U.S. ceasefire proposal.

Iran also largely denied reports that negotiations with Tehran are ongoing.

The reports showed Iran proposed its own five-point ceasefire plan, including compensation for damages caused by recent hostilities by the U.S. and Israel, and possibly implementing tolls in the Strait of Hormuz.

However, mixed signals about the conflict continue to create uncertainty in the markets. The White House threatened that if Tehran does not accept military defeat, it will unleash “hell” on Iran.

The S&P 500 rose 0.5% to 6,591.94, the Nasdaq Composite increased 0.8% to 21,929.83, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained nearly 0.7% to 46,428.57.

Oil prices fell after the ceasefire news but rebounded during Asian morning trading on Thursday.