Iran on Monday rejected a proposed 45-day ceasefire as President Trump’s Tuesday deadline approaches.
The ceasefire reportedly was being mediated through Pakistan, Egypt, and Turkey.
However, Iran is seeking a permanent end to the conflict.
DEVELOPING: Iran, United States Discussing Potential Ceasefire, Report Claims
More from the Associated Press:
Tehran conveyed its 10-point response through Pakistan, a key mediator, including proposals on reconstruction and the lifting of sanctions, Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency said.
“We only accept an end of the war with guarantees that we won’t be attacked again,” Mojtaba Ferdousi Pour, head of Iran’s diplomatic mission in Cairo, told The Associated Press. He said Iran no longer trusts the Trump administration after the U.S. bombed the Islamic Republic twice during previous rounds of talks.
And yet a regional official involved in talks said efforts had not collapsed. “We are still talking to both sides,” he said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss closed-door diplomacy.
Iranian and Omani officials were working on a mechanism for administrating the strait, through which a fifth of the world’s oil is shipped in peacetime. Iran’s grip on it has shaken the world economy. Tehran has refused to let U.S. and Israeli vessels through after they started the war on Feb. 28.
Trump on Monday said Iran has until tomorrow at 8:00 p.m. EST.
“And after that, they’re going to have no bridges. They’re going to have no power plants. Stone ages,” he continued.
Watch below:
President Trump: “This is a critical period… We’re giving them until tomorrow, 8:00 pm Eastern Time — and after that, they’re going to have no bridges. They’re going to have no power plants. Stone ages.” pic.twitter.com/ResckX5tv0
— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) April 6, 2026
“The entire country could be taken out in one night. And that night might be tomorrow night,” Trump said.
TRUMP: “The entire country could be taken out in one night. And that night might be tomorrow night.” pic.twitter.com/ZgxgzIdDHH
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) April 6, 2026
“You’ve said Iranians would be mad if you stopped these attacks. But why would they want you to blow up their infrastructure, to cut off their power?” a reporter asked Trump.
“Wouldn’t that be punishing Iranians for the actions of the regime?” she questioned.
“They would be willing to suffer that in order to have freedom,” Trump responded.
Trump added that some Iranians have said “please keep bombing.”
“We’ve had numerous intercepts. Please keep bombing. Bombs that are dropping near their homes. Please keep bombing. Do it. And these are people that are living where the bombs are exploding, and when we leave and we’re not hitting those areas, they’re saying please come back,” he said.
Footage below:
Q: “You’ve said Iranians would be mad if you stopped these attacks. But why would they want you to blow up their infrastructure, to cut off their power?”
President Trump: “They would be willing to suffer that in order to have freedom.” pic.twitter.com/d0AJcycLHo
— CSPAN (@cspan) April 6, 2026
USA TODAY shared further:
As Trump ramped up his threats on Iran, fighting continued across the region. Israel and Iran traded strikes on Monday, with Israel bombarding Iran’s largest petrochemical facility. Iranian forces struck the city of Haifa, killing at least four people, Israeli media reported.
Trump said very few targets will be “off limits” if a deal with Iran is not reached by the 8 p.m. ET deadline on Tuesday and the Strait of Hormuz is not opened for free passage of vessels. He refused to elaborate on what targets would be off limits for U.S strikes, such as school or other sensitive sites.
“We have a plan because of the power of our military, where every bridge in Iran will be decimated by 12 tomorrow night. Where every power plant in Iran will be out of business, burning, exploding, and never to be used again,” he said.
“I mean, complete demolition by 12 and it’ll happen over a period of four hours if we wanted to,” he added.