WASHINGTON/DUBAI, April 6 (Reuters) – The United States and Iran received the framework of a plan to end hostilities, but Iran rejected immediately reopening the Strait of Hormuz, after President Donald Trump threatened to rain “hell” on Tehran if it did not make a deal the end of Tuesday.
The peace plan involves a two-tier approach with an immediate ceasefire followed by a comprehensive agreement to be finalised within 15-20 days, a source aware of the proposals said on Monday.
Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, has been in contact “all night long” with U.S. Vice President JD Vance, special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, the source said.
Iran won’t reopen the Strait as part of a temporary ceasefire, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Monday, adding that Iran won’t accept deadlines as it reviews the proposal. Washington lacks the readiness for a permanent ceasefire, the official said.
Axios first reported on Sunday that the U.S., 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 U.S., 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 on Sunday, the president in a follow-up post gave a more precise deadline: “Tuesday, 8:00 P.M. Eastern Time! (Wednesday 0000 GMT)”
Fresh aerial strikes were reported across the region on Monday, more than five weeks since the U.S. and Israel began pounding Iran in a war that has killed thousands and damaged economies by boosting oil prices.
Iran responded to the attacks by effectively closing the Hormuz waterway, a conduit for about a fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas supply, and attacking Israel, U.S. military bases and energy infrastructure around the Gulf.
Anwar Gargash, an adviser to the UAE president, 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”.
Iranian weekend strikes on petrochemical facilities and an Israeli-linked vessel in Kuwait, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates underscored the country’s ability to fight back despite Trump’s repeated claims to have knocked out its missile and drone capabilities.
Iranian state media said the head of the Revolutionary Guards’ intelligence organisation, Majid Khademi, has died. Strikes by Israel and the U.S. have killed several high-ranking members of the Iranian regime, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was replaced by his son, Mojtaba.
Israeli rescuers retrieved two bodies from the rubble of a residential building in Haifa hit by an Iranian missile on Sunday, Israeli media said.
About 3,540 people have been killed in Iran since the war erupted, including at least 244 children, said U.S.-based rights group HRANA.
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 U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.
Lebanon’s heavy casualties include 1,461 killed, including at least 124 children, Lebanese authorities say.
(Reporting by Reuters bureaux worldwide; Writing by Stephen Coates and Charlie Devereux; Editing by Cynthia Osterman, Lincoln Feast and Toby Chopra)
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