US, Iran studying ceasefire plan as deadline nears on Trump’s ‘hell’ threat

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DUBAI/WASHINGTON – The United States and Iran on April 6 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 on the eve of a new ultimatum set by US President Donald Trump.

Mr Trump has threatened to rain “hell” on Tehran if it does not make a deal by the end of April 7 that will allow traffic to start moving again through the strait, a vital route for global energy supplies.

Iran responded to US and Israeli attacks in February by effectively closing the strait, a conduit for about a fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas supply.

The waterway’s stranglehold on the global economy has proven a powerful Iranian bargaining chip and on April 6, Tehran showed reluctance to relinquish it too easily.

A senior Iranian official told Reuters that Iran will not 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.

The Pakistani-brokered plan emerged from intense overnight contacts and proposes an immediate ceasefire, followed by negotiations on a broader settlement to be concluded within 15 to 20 days, a source aware of the talks said on April 6.

Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, has been in contact “all night long” with US Vice-President J.D. Vance, Mr Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, the source said.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry said on April 6 that Tehran had formulated positions and demands based on its interests and communicated them through intermediaries.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said details of the response would be announced in due time, but added that negotiations were “incompatible with ultimatums and threats to commit war crimes”.

Iran’s demands “should not be interpreted as a sign of compromise, but rather as a reflection of its confidence in defending its positions”, Mr Baghaei said, adding that earlier US demands, such as a 15-point plan, were rejected as “excessive”.

Ceasefire proposal ‘one of many ideas’

Mr Trump will speak about the ceasefire proposal at a press conference at 1pm Eastern Time (1am on April 7, Singapore time), a White House official told Reuters.

“This is one of many ideas, and (Mr Trump) has not signed off on it. Operation Epic Fury continues,” the official said, referring to the US name for the operation against Iran.

Brent crude futures had fallen by 36 US cents to US$108.67 a barrel by 12.22pm GMT (8.22pm Singapore time) as investors assessed the prospect of a ceasefire.

In a post laden with expletives on his Truth Social platform on April 5, Mr Trump threatened further strikes on Iranian energy and transport infrastructure if Iran fails to make a deal and reopen the Strait of Hormuz by April 7.

In a follow-up post, he gave a more precise deadline: “Tuesday, 8:00 P.M. Eastern Time!”

Dr Anwar Gargash, an adviser to the President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), 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”.

Fresh aerial strikes were reported across the region on April 6, more than five weeks since the US 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, Major-General Majid Khademi, has died.

Israel on April 6 claimed responsibility for his death.

A US-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 April 5.

War crimes

In a statement issued on April 6, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz threatened to destroy Iran’s infrastructure and hunt down its leaders “one by one”.

Iran said on April 6 that 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.

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.

A fire at the Marvdasht petrochemical complex was controlled after an attack by the US and Israel, state media said.

Mr Trump has repeatedly warned Iran he could expand US 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 parties involved in military conflict must distinguish between “civilian objects and military objectives”, and that attacks on civilian objects are forbidden.

Iran’s 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 Mr Trump’s repeated claims to have knocked out its missile and drone capabilities.

About 3,540 people have been killed in Iran since the war erupted, including at least 244 children, said US-based rights group Human Rights Activists News Agency.

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 April 6, bringing the total number of Israeli civilian deaths 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 US-Israeli war on Iran.

Lebanon’s heavy casualties include 1,461 killed, with at least 124 children among the dead, the Lebanese authorities say.

Thirteen US service members have died and hundreds of others have been wounded. REUTERS