Iran rejected a U.S.-backed ceasefire proposal on Monday and instead demanded a permanent end to its war with the United States and Israel, setting up a deeper standoff over the Strait of Hormuz as President Donald Trump insisted Tehran still had until Tuesday night to reopen the vital shipping route. Iran’s response, relayed through Pakistan, called for a broader settlement rather than a temporary truce, even as fresh strikes and rising casualties underscored how fragile any path to peace remains.
Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency said Tehran’s reply contained 10 clauses, including demands for an end to regional conflict, a safe-passage protocol through the Strait of Hormuz, sanctions relief and reconstruction. Trump, speaking at the White House, acknowledged the Iranian response but dismissed it as inadequate. “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.
The dispute over Hormuz has become the main pressure point in the five-week-old conflict. Iran effectively closed the waterway after U.S. and Israeli attacks in February, disrupting a corridor that carries about one-fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas supply. On Monday, Brent crude futures rose 0.5 per cent to US$109.60 a barrel at 1545 GMT as markets tracked the latest diplomatic and military developments.
A source aware of the talks said Pakistan had floated a framework calling for an immediate ceasefire followed by negotiations on a wider peace settlement within 15 to 20 days. Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, was said to have remained in contact overnight with U.S. Vice President JD Vance, special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi. Still, a White House official told Reuters the ceasefire framework was only “one of many ideas,” adding Trump had not approved it and that “Operation Epic Fury continues.”
Iran’s 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 also said earlier U.S. demands, including a 15-point plan, had been rejected as “excessive.”
On the ground, the conflict showed no sign of easing. Iranian state media reported that Majid Khademi, the Revolutionary Guards’ intelligence chief, had died, while Israel said it had targeted Iranian airports and petrochemical facilities. In Israel, missile strikes continued, and the country’s ambulance service said a missile hit in Haifa killed four people, raising Israel’s death toll to 23.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said Monday that Israel would destroy Iran’s infrastructure and hunt down its leaders “one by one.” Iran, meanwhile, said two petrochemical complexes were attacked, though emergency crews brought a fire at the South Pars complex in Asaluyeh under control with no reported casualties. With diplomacy still in motion but fighting intensifying, the next 24 hours now look decisive for both the ceasefire effort and the future of one of the world’s most important energy chokepoints.
