Iran rejects ceasefire as Trump says entire country can be 'taken out'
Trump threatens severe action if Iran does not agree to deal by Tuesday deadline
Iran said on Monday it wanted a lasting end to the war with the US and Israel, and pushed back against pressure to reopen the Strait of Hormuz while US President Donald Trump warned the country could be "taken out" if it did not meet his Tuesday night deadline to reach a deal.
Responding to a US proposal through mediator Pakistan, Tehran rejected a ceasefire and said a permanent end to the war was necessary, the official IRNA news agency reported.
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.
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Trump, who has threatened to rain "hell" on Tehran if it did not make a deal by 8pm EDT Tuesday (midnight GMT) to open the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for global energy supplies, rejected the Iranian response 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.
At a later news conference, Trump said that Iran could be "taken out" in one night "and that night might be tomorrow night," referring to Tuesday.
After the US and Israel attacked on 28 February, Iran effectively closed 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 Tehran on Monday showed reluctance to relinquish it too easily.
A Pakistani-brokered framework for ending the war proposed 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.
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.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said 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".
RESCUE MISSION
At the news conference, Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth praised the successful weekend retrieval from Iran of a US airman whose jet was shot down on Friday.
Hegseth described the rescue in explicitly Christian terms, comparing it to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. "Shot down on a Friday, Good Friday, hidden in a cave, a crevice, all of Saturday and rescued on Sunday, flown out of Iran as the sun was rising on Easter Sunday, a pilot reborn. All home and accounted for a nation rejoicing. God is good," Hegseth said.
The rescue mission came amid rising concern about the nearly six-week-long war's effect on the global economy, including a sharp rise in fuel prices. The conflict has also hit Trump's approval ratings and intensified anxiety among Republicans about November's midterm elections.
Brent crude futures LCOc1, opens new tab were up 0.5% to $109.60 a barrel at 1545 GMT.
VOWS TO DESTROY INFRASTRUCTURE
Fresh aerial strikes were reported across the region on Monday. Hegseth said at the news conference in Washington that Monday would have the largest volume of strikes since the start of the war, and Tuesday would see even more.
Iranian state media said the Revolutionary Guards' intelligence chief, Majid Khademi, had died. Israel claimed responsibility for his death.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz threatened to destroy Iran's infrastructure and hunt down its leaders "one by one." The Israeli military also said it had targeted Iran's air force through a series of strikes on the Bahram, Mehrabad, and Azmayesh airports.
Iran said 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.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the strike on the petrochemical facility in southern Iran was part of dismantling Iran's Revolutionary Guards "money machine".
"Iran is no longer the same Iran, and Israel is no longer the same Israel. Israel is stronger than ever, and the terrorist regime in Iran is weaker than ever," Netanyahu said in a statement.
Trump has threatened further strikes on Iranian energy and transport infrastructure if Tehran failed to reopen the Strait by Tuesday. Experts have said strikes on civilian infrastructure such as power plants and bridges would constitute war crimes.
FIGHTING 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.
Israel saw a heavy day of rocket volleys on Monday, with the sounds of sirens and missile interception booms ringing out across the country throughout the day.
Israel's military told Reuters there had been 20 missile launches from Lebanon and five from Iran during the day. Several attacks resulted in impacts. A missile hit Haifa overnight, tearing a building apart and killing four under the rubble. This raised the death toll in Israel to 23, according to Israel's ambulance service.
Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis said on Monday that they also carried out missile and drone attacks against Israel.
About 3,540 people have been killed in Iran in the war, US-based rights group HRANA said.
Israel has also invaded southern Lebanon and struck Beirut in a fight against Iran-backed Hezbollah militants that has become the war's most violent spillover. Lebanese authorities say 1,461 people have been killed.
Thirteen US service members have died.
