Proposals for immediate ceasefire to halt war circulated to US and Iran | US-Israel war on Iran
Proposals for an immediate ceasefire have been forwarded to Washington and Tehran in a bid to stop the five-week war and eliminate Donald Trump’s extraordinary threat to bomb Iran’s power plants.
Mediators from Pakistan, Egypt and Türkiye want both sides to agree to suspend hostilities and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, followed by the start of detailed negotiations to reach a more comprehensive peace deal.
Trump demanded on Sunday that Iran “open the Damn Strait” by Tuesday evening or he would target the country’s power plants and bridges.
Iranian officials told Reuters they would not open the strait to commercial ships as part of the temporary ceasefire. Another report on the Axios news site claimed that Iran does not want to be caught in a situation where the USA and Israel periodically attack, even though there is an agreement on paper.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran had responded privately but added that peace talks were “incompatible with ultimatums and threats to commit war crimes.” The country’s central military command has warned of “much more devastating” retaliation if the US and Israel escalate tensions.
The bombing of power plants and bridges has been condemned by lawyers and experts as a possible war crime because its impact on civilians would be disproportionate to the notional military advantage gained.
It is stated that Pakistani chief of general staff, Marshal Asim Munir, is in contact with US vice president JD Vance, and Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff is in contact with Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi, during the ceasefire talks.
Israeli political sources told the country’s Haaretz newspaper that although they think Trump is looking for a way to end the war, they believe the talks are likely to fail. They added that Israel has prepared for all scenarios and has identified other targets in case energy and infrastructure targets are bombed.
Israel has already shown a willingness to increase its bombardment. Iranian news agencies reported explosions at the South Pars petrochemical complex in Asaluyeh, Iran. Israel soon claimed responsibility through its defense minister, Israel Katz.
The minister said the IDF hit “Iran’s largest petrochemical facility” and that the attack followed a separate attack on the Mahshahr complex on Saturday. The two facilities “are responsible for approximately 85% of Iran’s petrochemical exports and are currently decommissioned,” Katz said.
Oil prices fell Monday morning, reflecting hopes that tensions would ease. Brent crude futures fell $1.92, or 1.76%, to $107.11 a barrel by mid-morning, before rising back above $108 as the fighting continued. Before the US and Israel attacked Iran at the end of February, prices were $70 per barrel.
The Israeli army said it bombed Tehran again on Monday and killed Iranian Revolutionary Guard intelligence chief Majid Khademi in another attack on Sunday.
On Monday, four people were confirmed dead in Haifa, northern Israel, as rescue crews dug up all the bodies buried under rubble following a missile attack the previous day. The missile penetrated Isreal’s air defenses and destroyed a building.
On Monday, Israel bombed the southern suburbs of Beirut, where Hezbollah has a stronghold in the capital. The day before, 15 people were killed in Lebanon, including anti-Hezbollah Christian party official Pierre Mouawad, who was one of the three people killed in the attack on Ain Saadeh, east of Beirut.
