Israel Hits Iran’s South Pars Petrochemical Plant As Mediators Float New Ceasefire Proposal

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Israel attacked a key petrochemical facility in Iran’s massive South Pars natural gas field, killing a top Revolutionary Guard commander; This situation has called into question the negotiations aimed at reaching a ceasefire between the United States and Tehran.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed there was a “strong attack on Iran’s largest petrochemical facility,” which is responsible for half of the country’s petrochemical production. Israel’s military spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani, said there would be no “immunity” for Iran as negotiations progressed.

The gas field shared with Qatar is the largest in the world and is under the waters of the Persian Gulf.

The White House did not immediately respond when asked about the strike. After Israel attacked South Pars in March, Trump said Israel would not attack again but warned that if Iran continued to attack Qatar’s energy infrastructure, the United States would retaliate and “massively blow up” the site.

Trump given time for Tehran to reopen nuclear system Strait of Hormuz This looms on the horizon as mediators try to persuade the United States and Iran to agree to a new ceasefire proposal.

Explosions were heard in Tehran and the sound of low-flying jets could be heard for hours as the capital was hit. Thick black smoke billowed near the city’s Azadi Square following an airstrike on the Sharif University of Technology.

Among those killed in one of the attacks on Tehran was Major General Majid Khademi, the intelligence chief of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, according to Iranian state media and Israel’s defense minister.

The Israeli army announced that Asghar Bakeri, the leader of the secret unit of the Iranian paramilitary Revolutionary Guards’ Quds Force, was also killed.

Iranian missiles hit the northern Israeli city of Haifa, where four people were found dead in the rubble of a residential building.

As Tehran maintains pressure on its Gulf neighbors, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia have activated their air defenses to intercept missiles and drones from Iran. Iran’s regular attacks on regional energy infrastructure and its stranglehold on the region Strait of HormuzOne fifth of the world’s oil is transported in peacetime Global energy prices are rising rapidly.

Under pressure at home consumers They are increasingly worried, Embers He gave Tehran a deadline that expires Monday night Washington time and said that if an agreement was not reached to reopen the strait, the United States would strike Iran’s power plants and other infrastructure targets and return the country “back to the stone age.”

“Tuesday will be Power Plant Day and Bridge Day in Iran, all in one,” he threatened in his social media post, adding, “You will be living in hell” if Iran does not open the strait.

In an effort to stop the conflict, Egyptian, Pakistani and Turkish mediators sent a proposal to Iran and the United States calling for a 45-day ceasefire and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, two Middle East officials told The Associated Press.

Iran and the United States did not respond to the offer, which was sent late Sunday night to both Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, officials said. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations.

European Council President António Costa wrote to X that “targeting civilian infrastructure, namely energy facilities, is illegal and unacceptable” and called for diplomacy to be given a chance.

“Increasing tensions will not ensure ceasefire and peace,” he said. “Only negotiations, that is, ongoing efforts led by regional partners.”

While Trump has at times demanded that Iran reopen the strait or face a significant increase in bombings from the United States, at other times he has said it is not up to Washington to force the waterway to open and that the war could even end without reopening.

He also gave Iran multiple deadlines on the issue, following the threat he issued on Sunday with a later “Tuesday, 8pm Eastern Time!” He posted a single line that read. It was unclear whether this meant the deadline was extended by another day.

Tehran has shown no signs of backing down in blocking ship passage through the strait, which was wide open before Israel and the United States attacked Iran on February 28. war.

Following Trump’s blasphemous posts on Easter Sunday, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf called his threats to target Iran’s infrastructure “reckless.”

Kalibaf wrote to X: “You gain nothing from war crimes.” “The only real solution is to respect the rights of the Iranian people and put an end to this dangerous game.”

Brent crude, the international standard, rose to $109 in spot trading early Monday, nearly 50% higher than when the war began.

Iran has allowed some ships to pass through the strait since the start of the war, but none belonged to the United States, Israel or countries thought to be aiding them. there are some He paid for passage to Iran and overall traffic flow is down more than 90% compared to the same period last year.

One of the airstrikes on Monday morning targeted the Sharif University of Technology in Tehran; Here, Iranian media reported damage to buildings and the natural gas distribution site next to the campus.

It was not immediately clear what was targeted at the university, which was empty of students as the war forced all schools in the country to take online classes. But over the years, many countries have sanctioned the university for its work with the military, particularly Iran’s ballistic missile program, which is controlled by the country’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard.

Following confirmation that the Guard’s intelligence chief was killed in a single attack, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz vowed to continue targeting senior Iranian officials. “Iran’s leaders live with the feeling that they are being targeted,” Katz said. “We will continue to hunt them down one by one.”

At least 15 people were killed in the attack near Eslamshar, southwest of Tehran, authorities said. Five people were killed when a residential area in the city of Qom was hit, while six more were killed in attacks on other cities, the state-run IRAN daily newspaper reported.

Iranian state television reported that three more people died in an air attack on a house in Tehran.

In Lebanon, where Israel carries out regular air strikes and ground operations that it says target the Iran-linked Hezbollah militia group, an air attack was carried out on an apartment in the town of Ain Saadeh, east of Beirut. The attack killed an official from the Lebanese Forces, a Christian political party that strongly opposes Hezbollah, his wife and another woman.

More than 1,900 people have been killed in Iran since the start of the war, but the government has not updated the number for days.

More than 1,400 people was killed in Lebanon and more than 1 million people displaced. 11 Israeli soldiers died there Targeting Iran-backed Hezbollah militants.

More than two dozen people died in the Gulf Arab countries and the occupied West Bank, while 23 people died in Israel and 13 people in the USA. service members was killed.

The Ascendants were reportedly from Bangkok, while Magdy was from Cairo. Isabel DeBre in Ain Saadeh, Lebanon, contributed to this story.