DUBAI/WASHINGTON, April 6 (Reuters) - On the eve of a U.S. deadline, the United States and Iran on Monday were weighing 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.
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 on Monday.
Pakistan's army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, was 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's foreign ministry said on Monday Tehran had formulated positions and demands based on its interests and communicated them through intermediaries, in response to ceasefire proposals.
Ministry spokesperson 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 does not hesitate to clearly express what it considers its legitimate demands and doing so should not be interpreted as a sign of compromise, but rather as a reflection of its confidence in defending its positions," Baghaei told a press conference. He said earlier U.S. demands, such as a 15-point plan, were rejected for being excessive.
Earlier on Monday, a senior Iranian official told Reuters that Iran won't 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.
U.S. stock index futures inched higher on Monday while oil prices fell over $2 a barrel as investors assessed the prospect of a ceasefire.
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)"
Anwar Gargash, an adviser to the president of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), 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".
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.
Iranian state media said the head of the Revolutionary Guards' intelligence organisation, Majid Khademi, has died. Israel on Monday claimed responsibility for his death.
Israel and the U.S. have carried out assassinations of Iran's leaders since war's start on Feb. 28, killing several senior members of its ruling system, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was replaced by his son, Mojtaba.
A U.S.-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 on Sunday.
ISRAEL VOWS TO DESTROY IRAN'S INFRASTRUCTURE
Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz in a statement issued on Monday threatened to destroy Iran’s infrastructure and hunt down its leaders "one by one".
Israel said on Monday it had attacked Iran's South Pars petrochemical complex in Asaluyeh and Fars news agency reported explosions had been heard at the facility.
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 a big escalation in the war, with Iran striking energy targets across the Middle East.
The International Atomic Energy Agency on Monday confirmed military strikes close to Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant, but said that the plant itself was not damaged.
Trump has repeatedly warned Iran he could expand U.S. 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.
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.
Iran has responded to U.S. 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, U.S. 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 U.S.-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 on Monday, 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 U.S. service members have died and hundreds of others have been wounded.
(Reporting by Reuters bureaux worldwide; Writing by Charlie Devereux; Editing by Toby Chopra, William Maclean)
