Trump confirms final Tuesday deadline as Iran rejects ceasefire proposal
Immediately after Iran’s ceasefire proposal was rejected, “They’re going to pay a big price for this,” US President Donald Trump said on Monday as he sought to end a five-week war in the Middle East, confirming Tuesday as the deadline to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
“If they do what they need to do, the war could end rapidly,” Trump said. He said Tehran’s counteroffer was “important, but not good enough.”
The US president said, “The war is about one thing – Iran cannot have nuclear weapons.” “Until a deal is reached, Iran will have no power plants,” he said.
Trump made this comment on the occasion of the White House Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn.
The US President is increasing threats to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to Tehran, vowing to target Iranian energy facilities and civilian infrastructure. They set the deadline for Tuesday, 8:00 pm ET (Wednesday, 5:30 am IST).
Before the war began, this narrow waterway provided one-fifth of the global energy supply. Iran effectively blocked the maritime chokepoint after the US-Israeli attack on February 28, triggering a global energy crisis.
According to earlier reports, the US and Iran had reportedly received Pakistan’s outline of a peace plan to end the conflict. Last week, Tehran rejected the US’s 15-point ceasefire plan.
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Iran has rejected the ceasefire proposal
Iran rejected a ceasefire proposal to end the conflict ahead of a deadline set by US President Donald Trump to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran’s response consists of ten clauses, including a cessation of conflicts in the region, a protocol for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, removal of sanctions, and reconstruction. Reuters reported that the Iran Islamic Republic News Agency is state-owned.
More than 180 ships have transited the strait since the war began, according to CNN, which reported this news on Sunday, quoting Iran’s semi-official Tasneem News Agency. About 70 percent of these ships are owned by Iran and its allies and countries like China, India, Pakistan and Türkiye.
Pakistan’s two-tier peace plan
Upon receiving the outline prepared by Pakistan, Tehran said the talks were “inconsistent with ultimatums and threats of committing war crimes.”
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Tehran rejected a proposal to immediately reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which has been a Trump priority and the cause of the growing threats. Iran also said it would not accept the deadline as it reviewed the proposal.
Tehran demanded a permanent ceasefire, ensuring that the US and Israel would not attack them again.
The plan reportedly called for a two-tier approach, including immediate ceasefire talks but “a comprehensive agreement to be concluded within 15 to 20 days,”, the news agency reported. Reuters informed.
Islamabad hosted high-level delegations from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt last week in an effort to ease tensions, but Iran said it did not participate in the meetings.
