Tehran, Apr 7: Iran rejected a 45-day ceasefire proposal Monday, demanding a permanent war end, while President Donald Trump escalated threats to obliterate the Islamic Republic before his Tuesday 8 pm deadline.
“The entire country can be taken out in one night, and that night might be tomorrow night,” Trump warned at a White House news conference, confirming the ultimatum as final. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth promised “largest volume of strikes since day one” on Tuesday.
Israel intensified pressure, striking Iran’s massive South Pars gas field—shared with Qatar and vital for domestic energy—killing Revolutionary Guard intelligence chief Maj Gen Majid Khademi and Quds Force leader Asghar Bakeri. “We will hunt them down one by one,” said Defense Minister Israel Katz. Overnight hits targeted Tehran airports, helicopters, and Sharif University.
Iran responded via Pakistan with a 10-point plan for reconstruction and sanctions relief, but diplomat Mojtaba Ferdousi Pour insisted on attack guarantees, citing U.S. betrayals. Tehran refuses Strait of Hormuz passage to U.S./Israeli vessels since the Feb 28 war start, spiking Brent crude to $109/barrel.
Amid Tehran explosions and resident panic over blackouts, mediators from Egypt, Pakistan, and Turkey push a ceasefire and strait reopening. Casualties mount: 1,900+ in Iran, 1,400+ in Lebanon (1M displaced), plus deaths in Israel (23 civilians, 11 soldiers, 13 U.S. troops), Gulf states, and West Bank.
Regional officials say talks continue privately, despite Iran’s foreign ministry slamming “ultimatums and war crimes.”
