On the eve of a US deadline, the United States and Iran were considering the framework of a plan to end their five-week-old conflict, even as Tehran pushed back against pressure to swiftly reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
US President Donald Trump has threatened to rain “hell” on Tehran if it did 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.
The Pakistani-brokered plan emerged from intense overnight contacts and proposes an immediate ceasefire, followed by negotiations on a broader peace settlement to be concluded within 15 to 20 days, a source aware of the proposals said today.
Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, was in contact “all night long” with US Vice President Mr JD Vance, special envoy Mr Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Mr Abbas Araqchi, the source said.
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 spokesperson Mr Esmaeil Baghaei said details of the response would be announced in due time, but added negotiations were “incompatible with ultimatums and threats to commit war crimes.”
Iran’s demands “should not be interpreted as a sign of compromise, but rather as a reflection of its confidence in defending its positions,” Mr Baghaei told a press conference.
He said earlier US demands, such as a 15-point plan, were rejected for being excessive.
Smoke rises over residential areas
Smoke rises over residential areas in Tehran
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.
Ceasefire proposal ‘one of many ideas’
Mr Trump will speak about the ceasefire proposal at a press conference at 1pm ET (7pm Irish time), a White House official told Reuters.
“This is one of many ideas, and (Mr Trump) has not signed off on it. Operation Epic Fury continues,” they said, referring to the US name for the operation against Iran.
US stock index futures inched higher while oil prices fell by over $2 a barrel at one point as investors assessed the prospect of a ceasefire.
In a post laden with expletives on his Truth Social platform yesterday, Mr Trump threatened further strikes on Iranian energy and transport infrastructure if Iran failed to make a deal and reopen the Strait by Tuesday.
Later, in a follow-up post gave a more precise deadline: “Tuesday, 8pm. Eastern Time! (Wednesday 1am Irish time)”.
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”.
Iranian youths gather outside a cafe as tape covers the windows to protect them from shattering caused by an explosion’s shockwave, in Tehran, Iran, on April 5, 2026, amid the U.S.-Israeli military operation in Iran. As the military operation enters its thirty-seventh day, Iranians express concern o
Blast tape is seen on buildings in Tehran
Fresh aerial strikes were reported across the region, 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 head of the Revolutionary Guards’ intelligence organisation, Majid Khademi, has died. Israel 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 yesterday.
Israel vows to destroy Iran’s infrastructure
Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz in a statement threatened to destroy Iran’s infrastructure and hunt down its leaders “one by one”.
Israel said it had attacked Iran’s South Pars petrochemical complex in Asaluyeh. Emergency and firefighting teams brought a blaze under control at the complex, Iran’s National Petrochemical Company. No casualties were reported.
The petrochemical 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.
The International Atomic Energy Agency has confirmed military strikes close to Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant, but said that the plant itself was not damaged.
Mr 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.
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 Mr Trump’s repeated claims to have knocked out its missile and drone capabilities.
Iran has responded to US and Israeli attacks by effectively closing Hormuz, 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.
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, 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
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