Iran rejects latest ceasefire proposal as Trump deadline looms
“They made a proposal, and it’s a significant proposal. It’s a significant step. It’s not good enough, but it’s a very significant step,” Trump said at the White House.
Iran has rejected a proposal for a temporary ceasefire, state media reported on Monday, as US President Donald Trump’s deadline to strike Iran’s power plants and bridges approaches if no agreement is reached.
Iranian state news agency IRNA reported on Monday that Iran had rejected a proposal for a 45-day ceasefire and instead submitted a 10-point counterproposal through third-party mediators, responding to a March 24 15-point plan put forward by the United States. The Iranian response focused on a permanent end to the war rather than a temporary pause.
Trump told reporters on Monday that the latest proposal was “significant” but “not good enough.” “They made a proposal, and it’s a significant proposal. It’s a significant step. It’s not good enough, but it’s a very significant step,” Trump said at the White House. It is unclear whether he was referring to the 45-day ceasefire or the 10-point response submitted by Iran.
The Associated Press reported that mediators from Egypt, Pakistan and Turkey sent a proposal to Washington and Tehran that included a ceasefire lasting 45 days and the Strait of Hormuz reopening.
According to IRNA, Iran's demands include “an end to hostilities in the region, a protocol ensuring safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz as well as reconstruction and the lifting of sanctions.” The report said that Iran has presented its response to Pakistan.
Earlier on Monday, in remarks carried by Iranian media, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said that Tehran is seeking “an end to the war and to prevent its recurrence.” He added that Iran had prepared a response to the latest proposal, which he called “excessive, unusual and illogical.”
The 15-point US proposal has not been made public, but The New York Times reported that it addresses Iran's ballistic missile program, its nuclear program, support for proxies and maritime routes.
Trump wrote on Truth Social on Sunday that without a deal with Iran, Tuesday would be “Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran,” indicating that the United States would attack civilian infrastructure. He followed up with another post indicating that Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET was the deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz — a narrow waterway off Iran’s coast that has come to a near halt amid the war.
Speaking at the White House on Monday afternoon, Trump told reporters that “we have an active, willing participant on the other side.” He added that the “participant,” whom he did not name, “would like to be able to make a deal.” “Do I want to destroy their infrastructure? No.”
Asked what was required from Iran before the deadline, whether it be reopening the Strait of Hormuz, reaching a deal or both, Trump said, “We have to have a deal that’s acceptable to me.” Part of that deal, he said, is “free traffic of oil and everything else.”
