Iran Defiant on Eve of Trump’s Ceasefire Deadline

Iran has rejected a US proposal, brokered by Pakistan, for an immediate ceasefire and lifting of the effective blockade of the strait, followed by talks on a broader peace deal within 15 to 20 days, according to a source familiar with the plan.

Iran’s response consisted of 10 points, including an end to conflicts in the region, a protocol on safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, the lifting of sanctions and reconstruction, the official IRNA news agency reported.

“The entire country could be wiped out in one night, and that night could be tomorrow night,” Trump said on Monday. He promised to destroy Iran’s power plants and infrastructure if Tehran rejects the deal before the deadline.

Trump said that without a deal, as of midnight on Wednesday, “all the bridges in Iran will be destroyed” and “all the power plants in Iran will go bankrupt, burn, explode and never be used again.”

FIGHT WITHOUT ACCELERATION

Earlier on Tuesday, the Israeli military said it had completed a wave of airstrikes targeting Iranian government infrastructure in Tehran and other areas. It was operating air defense systems to block missiles launched from Iran.

The defense ministry said it intercepted ballistic missiles aimed at Saudi Arabia’s eastern region, with debris falling near energy facilities, without specifying who launched the missiles.

Since the United States and Israel launched a war against Iran on Feb. 28, Saudi Arabia has come under attack from hundreds of Iranian missiles and drones, many of which have been captured, officials said.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain issued simultaneous public safety alerts on Tuesday.

Trump brushed off questions that his promise to destroy power plants in Iran would constitute a war crime, saying he was “not at all concerned” about that possibility.

“I hope I don’t have to do this,” he said.

Iran’s envoy to the United Nations said Monday that Trump’s threat to attack “is a direct incitement to terrorism and is clear evidence of intent to commit war crimes under international law.”

Iran’s deputy sports minister ‌Alireza Rahimi on Tuesday called on artists and athletes to form human chains at power plants across the country, with the top military command calling Trump “delusional.”

A synagogue in the center of Iran’s capital was heavily damaged by a US-Israeli rocket on Tuesday, according to semi-official news agency Mehr.

DO NOT SHOCK

Oil prices on Tuesday were hovering around $110 a barrel as Trump’s deadline looms and there is little apparent hope of reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a key global oil chokepoint that has raised inflation concerns around the world.

Iran has effectively blocked Hormuz, a conduit to nearly one-fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas supplies, and this has proven to be a powerful bargaining chip for Tehran that it is reluctant to give up.

Brent crude futures rose 0.4% to $110.19 per barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures rose 0.8% to $113.31.

Trump was on the brink of a political crisis as Iran proved to be a tougher foe than he had anticipated at the start of the conflict, which he said was aimed at stopping the country from producing nuclear weapons and developing missiles to deliver them.

With 13 US service members killed since the start of the conflict, it found itself on even more dangerous ground on Friday when a US F-15E fighter jet was shot down and one of the two airmen was stranded deep inside Iranian territory.

The rescue mission by US commandos to get the stranded weapons specialist officer to safety helped prevent a disastrous escalation of the political crisis for Trump.

U.S.-based rights group HRANA said thousands of people have been killed in the Middle East in the war, including 3,546 in Iran and nearly 1,500 in Lebanon, where Israel is targeting Iran-backed Hezbollah militias.