DUBAI/WASHINGTON, April 6 — With a United States (US) deadline approaching, the US and Iran received the framework of a plan to end their five‑week-old conflict, though Tehran rejected any immediate move to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
US President Donald Trump has threatened to rain "hell" on Tehran if it does not make a deal by the end of Tuesday that would allow traffic to start moving again through the vital route for global energy supplies.
On Monday, a source aware of the proposals said that the Pakistani-brokered plan emerged from intense overnight contacts and proposes an immediate ceasefire, followed by negotiations on a broader settlement to be concluded within 15 to 20 days.
It added that Pakistan's Army chief 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 Araqchi.
On the same day, Iran's Foreign Ministry said that Tehran had formulated positions and demands based on its interests and communicated them through intermediaries in response to ceasefire proposals.
Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said details of the response would be announced in due time, but added that negotiations were "incompatible with ultimatums and threats to commit war crimes."
"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," he said during a media conference, adding that demands, such as a 15-point plan, were rejected for being excessive.
Earlier on Monday, 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. The official noted that Washington was not ready for a permanent ceasefire.
On Sunday, Axios first reported that the US, Iran, and regional mediators were discussing a potential 45-day ceasefire as part of a two-phase deal that could lead to a permanent end to the war, citing US, Israeli, and regional sources.
Trump says deal must be made by Tuesday
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.
Later that day, via a follow-up post, the President gave a more precise deadline: "Tuesday, 8:00 P.M. Eastern Time! (Wednesday 0000 GMT)"
Anwar Gargash, an adviser to the President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), said any settlement must guarantee access through the Strait of 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 boosting oil prices.
Iranian state media said the Revolutionary Guards' intelligence organisation's head Majid Khademi has died. Israel claimed responsibility for his death on Monday.
Israel and the US have carried out assassinations of Iran's leaders since the start of the war on February 28, killing several high-ranking members of the Iranian ruling system, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was succeeded by his son Mojtaba.
On Sunday, the Fars News Agency reported that 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.
Israel vows to destroy Iran's infrastructure
In a statement issued on Monday, Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz threatened to destroy Iran’s infrastructure and hunt down its leaders "one by one".
Trump has repeatedly warned Iran that 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 state that parties to military conflict must distinguish between "civilian objects and military objectives" and that attacks on civilian objects are prohibited.
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.
Iran responded to the attacks launched by the US and Israel in February by effectively closing the Hormuz waterway, a conduit for about a fifth of the world's oil and natural gas supply, and attacking Israel, US military bases, and energy infrastructure around the Gulf.
US-based rights group HRANA has estimated that 3,540 people have been killed in Iran since the war erupted, including at least 244 children.
At least four Israelis were killed in a missile attack on a residential building in Haifa in northern Israel overnight, confirmed Israeli emergency service MDA 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 US-Israeli war on Iran.
Lebanon's heavy casualties include 1,461 killed, including at least 124 children, according to the authorities
13 US service members have died, and hundreds of others have been wounded.
