Iran rejects ceasefire as deadline nears on Trump 'hell' ultimatum

Iran has conveyed its response to the US proposal for ending the war to ​Pakistan, rejecting a ceasefire and emphasising the necessity ​of a permanent end to the war, the official IRNA ‌news ⁠agency said on Monday.

The US and Iran weighed ​a framework plan to end their five‑week-old conflict, as Tehran ⁠said it wanted a lasting end to the ​war and pushed back against pressure to swiftly reopen ​the Strait of Hormuz under a temporary ceasefire.

The Iranian response consisted of 10 clauses, including an end to conflicts in the region, a protocol for safe passage through the Strait ​of Hormuz, ​lifting of ⁠sanctions, and reconstruction, the agency added.

Trump has threatened to rain "hell" on Tehran if it ​did not make a deal by 8pm ⁠EDT (00:00 GMT) Tuesday that would allow traffic to start moving again through the vital route for global energy ⁠supplies.

Earlier, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson ​Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran had a ⁠set of requirements based on its ​national interests that had already been conveyed ​via intermediary channels, adding that earlier US demands such as the 15-point plan were rejected ​for being "excessive."

"Iran does not hesitate ​to clearly express what it considers its legitimate ‌demands ⁠and doing so should not be interpreted as a sign of compromise, but rather as a reflection of its ​confidence in ​defending ⁠its positions," Baghaei said in a press conference.

"We have formulated ​our own responses" and will ​announce ⁠details in due time, he added in response to an Iranian journalist's question ⁠regarding ​ongoing efforts to bring ​about a ceasefire between Iran and the US.

Earlier, a senior Iranian official told Reuters that Iran will not reopen the Strait as part of a temporary ceasefire, nor would it accept deadlines or pressure to reach a deal. Washington was not ready for a permanent ceasefire, the ​official said.

The Pakistani-brokered plan emerged from intense overnight contacts and proposes an immediate ceasefire, followed by talks on a broader peace settlement to be concluded within 15 to 20 days, a source aware of the proposals said ​on Monday.

Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir was in contact "all night long" with US Vice President JD Vance, special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, the ⁠source said.

Ceasefire proposal 'one of many ideas'

Trump will speak about the ceasefire proposal at a press conference at 1pm ET (11pm PST), a White House official told Reuters. "This is one of many ideas, and (Trump) has not signed off on it. Operation Epic Fury continues," they said, referring to the US name for the operation against Iran.

Brent crude futures had fallen by 36 cents to $108.67 a barrel by 1222 GMT as investors assessed ceasefire prospects.

In a post laden with expletives on his Truth Social platform on Sunday, Trump threatened further strikes on Iranian energy ​and transport infrastructure if Iran failed to make a deal and reopen the Strait by Tuesday. In a follow-up post he gave a more precise deadline: "Tuesday, 8:00pm Eastern Time! (Wednesday 0000 GMT)"

Anwar Gargash, an adviser to the president of the United ​Arab Emirates, said any settlement must guarantee access through Hormuz. He warned that a deal that failed to rein in Iran’s nuclear programme and its missiles and drones would pave the way for "a more dangerous, more volatile Middle East".

Fresh aerial strikes were reported across ‌the region on ⁠Monday, more than five weeks since the US and Israel began pounding Iran in a war that has killed thousands and damaged economies by sending oil prices surging.

Iranian state media said the Revolutionary Guards' intelligence chief, Majid Khademi, has died. Israel on Monday claimed responsibility for his death.

A US-Israeli attack hit the data centre at Sharif University of Technology in Tehran, damaging infrastructure underpinning the country’s national artificial intelligence platform and thousands of other services, Fars News Agency said on Sunday.

Israel vows to destroy Iran's infrastructure

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz in a statement issued on Monday threatened to destroy Iran’s infrastructure and hunt down its leaders "one by one".

Iran said on Monday two of its petrochemical complexes were attacked.

Emergency and firefighting teams brought a blaze under control at ​the South Pars complex in Asaluyeh, Iran's National Petrochemical Company ​said. No casualties were reported.

The complex’s power supply was ⁠cut off after two companies supplying it with electricity, water and oxygen were attacked, Tasnim news agency said.

An Israeli attack in mid-March on the South Pars gas field that Iran shares with Qatar prompted an escalation in the war, with Iran striking energy targets across the Middle East.

A fire at the Marvdasht petrochemical complex was controlled after an attack by the US ​and Israel, state media said.

Trump has repeatedly warned Iran he could expand US strikes to include civilian infrastructure, such as power plants and bridges.

Experts say such attacks could constitute war ​crimes, but the International Criminal Court ⁠lacks jurisdiction because the countries involved are not members of the court.

The Geneva Conventions say that parties involved in military conflict must distinguish between "civilian objects and military objectives", and that attacks on civilian objects are forbidden.

Kremlin says the whole Middle East is 'on fire'

The Kremlin on Monday said ​that the Iran war was escalating in ‌both geography and economic impact, and that the whole Middle East region was "on fire" due to ​the US and Israeli attacks on ​the Islamic Republic.

Trump, in ⁠an expletive-laden Easter Sunday social media post, threatened ​to target Iran's power plants and bridges ​on Tuesday if the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened.

When asked by Reuters about Trump's remarks, Kremlin ​spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that ​Russia had seen them but that the Kremlin preferred ‌not ⁠to comment directly.

"We note that the level of tension in the region is growing and continues to grow," Peskov said. "In fact, the ​entire region ​is on ⁠fire. These are all very dangerous and negative consequences of the ​aggression that was unleashed against Iran."

"The ​geography ⁠of this conflict has expanded, and now we are all aware of the consequences that ⁠we ​have, including very, very negative ​consequences for the global economy."

Iran continues to fight back

Iranian weekend strikes on petrochemical facilities and an Israeli-linked vessel in Kuwait, Bahrain and the UAE underscored the country's ability to fight back despite Trump's repeated claims to have knocked out its missile and drone capabilities.

About 3,540 people have been killed in Iran in the war, including at least 244 ⁠children, said US-based ​rights group HRANA.

At least four Israelis were killed in a missile attack on a residential building in Haifa in northern Israel overnight, Israeli emergency ​service MDA said on Monday, bringing the total number of Israeli civilian fatalities from Iranian and Hezbollah attacks to 23.

Israel has also invaded southern Lebanon and struck Beirut in a fight against Iran-backed Hezbollah militants that has become the most violent spillover of the war on Iran.

Lebanon's heavy casualties include 1,461 killed, ​including at least 124 children, Lebanese authorities say. Thirteen US service members have died and hundreds of others have been wounded.