April 1, 2026: Explosions and smoke rise in the northeastern, western and central regions of Tehran, Iran during an Israeli attack.
Tolga Akbaba | Anadolu | Getty Images
The United States and Iran have received a framework for a plan to end hostilities, but Iran has refused to immediately reopen the Strait of Hormuz as President Donald Trump threatened to rain “hell” on Tehran if no deal was reached by the end of Tuesday.
Officials with knowledge of the proposal said on Monday that the peace plan includes a two-step approach: an immediate ceasefire followed by a comprehensive agreement to be finalized within 15 to 20 days.
Pakistan’s army chief, Gen. Asim Munir, has been in touch “throughout the night” with U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance, special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, officials said.
A senior Iranian government official told Reuters on Monday that Iran had no intention of reopening the strait as part of a temporary ceasefire, adding that Iran had no intention of accepting a deadline to consider the proposal. The official said the U.S. government lacks preparations for a permanent ceasefire.
Axios first reported on Sunday that the United States, Iran and regional mediators are discussing a possible 45-day ceasefire as part of a two-phase deal that could lead to a permanent end to the war, Axios first reported Sunday, citing U.S., Israeli and regional sources.
President Trump: “We need a deal by Tuesday”
In an expletive-filled post on his Truth Social platform on Sunday, President Trump threatened further attacks on Iran’s energy and transportation infrastructure if the country fails to reach a deal and reopen the strait by Tuesday. Later on Sunday, the president gave a more precise deadline in a follow-up post: “Tuesday 8pm ET (Wednesday 0000GMT).”
More than five weeks after the United States and Israel began attacking Iran in a war that left thousands dead and soaring oil prices damaging economies, new airstrikes were reported across the region on Monday.
Iran responded to the attack by effectively shutting down the Hormuz waterway, a waterway that supplies about a fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas supplies, and attacking Israel, U.S. military bases and energy infrastructure around the Gulf.
UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash said any settlement must guarantee access through the Strait of Hormuz.
He warned that any deal that failed to curb Iran’s nuclear program, missiles and drones would pave the way for a “more dangerous and unstable Middle East.”
Iran’s attacks on petrochemical facilities and Israeli-linked ships in Kuwait, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates over the weekend highlighted the country’s ability to strike back, despite President Trump’s repeated claims that he had destroyed the country’s missile and drone capabilities.
Iranian state media reported that Majid Kademi, head of the Revolutionary Guards’ intelligence service, has died. Airstrikes by Israel and the United States killed several senior Iranian regime officials, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, who was succeeded by his son Mojtaba.
Israeli rescue teams on Sunday recovered two bodies from the rubble of a house in Haifa hit by an Iranian missile attack, Israeli media reported.
Some 3,540 people, including at least 244 children, have been killed in Iran since the war began, according to US-based human rights group HRANA.
Israel has also invaded southern Lebanon and attacked Beirut in the fight against Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants, the most violent spillover of the U.S.-Israel war against Iran.
Lebanese authorities said the country’s heavy casualties stood at 1,461 people, including at least 124 children.
