Iran Rejects US Ceasefire Proposal Amid Threats to Target Energy Facilities

Iran on Monday rejected the ceasefire proposal to halt the five-week conflict ahead of the deadline set by US President Donald Trump to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s response consists of ten clauses, including an end to conflicts in the region, a protocol for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, the lifting of sanctions, and reconstruction, Reuters reported, quoting Iran’s state-owned Islamic Republic News Agency . Trump has been mounting threats on Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz — the narrow waterway which accounted for over a fifth of global energy supplies before the war broke out – vowing to target Iranian energy facilities and civilian infrastructure. He fixed a deadline of Tuesday, 8:00 pm ET (Wednesday, 5:30 am IST). “Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!! Open the F*****’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell – JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah,” the US President said. Iran effectively blocked the maritime chokepoint after the US-Israeli assault on February 28, triggering a global energy crunch, which International Energy Agency chief Fatih Birol described as worse than the two 1970s oil crises combined . As per earlier reports, the US and Iran received the framework of a peace plan, reportedly put together by Pakistan, to end the five-week conflict. But Tehran said the negotiations were “incompatible with ultimatums ⁠and ​threats to commit war crimes.” Tehran rejected the proposal to immediately reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which has been Trump’s priority and the reason behind mounting threats. Iran also said it would not accept deadlines as it reviewed the proposal. Tehran was seeking a permanent ceasefire with guarantees they will not be attacked again by the US and Israel. The plan reportedly called for a two-tier approach involving immediate ceasefire talks on a “broader settlement to be concluded within 15 to 20 days,” news agency Reuters reported. Islamabad hosted high-level delegations from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt last week in an effort to de-escalate, but Tehran said it did not participate in the meetings. Last week, Tehran rejected a 15-point peace plan from the US via Pakistan, labelling the listed demands “excessive and unreasonable.” Tehran put forward five demands instead, which included the removal of US bases in the region, permanent “cessation of aggression,” compensation for the war, and sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz. On Monday, both sides carried on their assault while ceasefire proposal talks were going on. Israel attacked Iran’s South Pars petrochemical complex ​in Asaluyeh. Earlier on Monday, the IRGC said the head of its ⁠intelligence ‌organisation, Majid Khademi, was killed in a “terrorist attack by the American-Zionist enemy.” Israel’s military said it also killed Asghar Bakeri, leader of Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps’s undercover unit in its expeditionary Quds Force. On Sunday, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Navy (IRGC) said the Strait of Hormuz will “never return to its former state,” especially for the US and Israel. The statement said Tehran is in the final stages of operational preparations for what officials describe as a “new order” in the Gulf. On Monday, a parliamentary commission in Iran approved plans to impose tolls on vessels transiting the Strait.