Deadline is final, says Trump after Iran shuns ceasefire plan

Dubai/Washington — Iran said on Monday it wanted a lasting end to the war with the US and Israel and pushed back against pressure to swiftly reopen the Strait of Hormuz under a temporary ceasefire as the Americans and the Iranians weighed a framework plan to cease their five‑week-old conflict. Iran 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 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.

President Donald Trump, who has threatened to “rain hell” on Tehran if it did not make a deal by midnight GMT to open the vital route for global energy supplies, rejected the Iranian proposal on Monday and said his deadline was final. “They made a proposal, and it’s a significant proposal. It’s a significant step.

It’s not good enough,” Trump told reporters at an annual White House Easter event, referring to Iran. Iran responded to US and Israeli attacks in February by effectively closing Hormuz, a conduit for about a fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas supply. The waterway’s stranglehold on the global economy has proved a powerful Iranian bargaining chip, and on Monday it showed reluctance to relinquish it too easily.

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The Pakistani-brokered framework for ending the war 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. 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, the source said. Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baghaei, said on Monday that Tehran’s demands “should not be interpreted as a sign of compromise, but rather as a reflection of its confidence in defending its positions”.

He added that earlier US demands, such as a 15-point plan, were rejected as “excessive”. “The entire country can be taken out in one night, and that night might be tomorrow night,” Trump told a White House press conference on Monday. “I hope I don’t have to do it.” “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 were up 0.5% to $109.60 a barrel at 3.45pm GMT. 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.

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