Under air strikes, Iran remains defiant on eve of Trump’s ceasefire deadline

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WASHINGTON – Iran and Israel traded attacks on April 7 as Tehran defiantly refused to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and accept a ceasefire deal on the eve of a deadline set by US President Donald Trump to agree to his demands or get “taken out”.

But in what could be a sign of progress, the Iranian ambassador to Pakistan said “positive and productive endeavours” by Islamabad to mediate an end to the war were “approaching a critical, sensitive stage”.

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

The Iranian response consisted of 10 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, the official IRNA news agency reported.

On April 7, Mr Trump said that “the entire country can be taken out in one night, and that night might be tomorrow night”.

He vowed to destroy Iranian power plants and infrastructure if Tehran refuses to agree before the deadline.

Without a deal, he said “every bridge in Iran will be decimated” by midnight EDT (noon Singapore time) on April 8 and “every power plant in Iran will be out of business, burning, exploding and never to be used again”.

The Iranian army’s Khatam Al-Anbiya central command, responding to Mr Trump’s threats, called him “delusional” and said “crushing operations of the warriors of Islam against the American and Zionist enemies” would continue.

Both Mr Trump and Iran said a proposal touted by international mediators for a 45-day ceasefire was not yet ready.

He said earlier that the plan was a “significant proposal”, but later he said it was not good enough.

Iranian state media quoted officials as saying that Tehran too “has rejected a ceasefire and insists on the need for a definitive end to the conflict”.

Fighting continues

Early on April 7, the Israeli military said it completed a wave of air strikes targeting Iranian government infrastructure in Tehran and other areas.

Israeli air strikes hit major Iranian petrochemical facilities, including Asaluyeh on the Gulf coast, Iran’s biggest, and another outside Shiraz in central Iran.

Israel’s military said it also struck Iranian air force targets, including planes and helicopters at airports in Tehran and elsewhere.

Israel issued an advisory later in the day urging Iranians to avoid trains and stay away from railways until the evening of April 7.

“Your presence on trains and near railway lines endangers your life,” the military posted on its Persian-language account on X.

Saudi Arabia intercepted ballistic missiles heading towards its eastern region with debris falling near energy facilities, its Defence Ministry said. It has come under attack from hundreds of Iranian missiles and drones since the US and Israel launched the war on Iran on Feb 28, most of which were intercepted.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain issued simultaneous public safety alerts on April 7.

Iranian media said explosions were heard in parts of Tehran and nearby Karaj early on April 7.

Yemen’s Houthi rebels said they launched an attack targeting Israel, supporting their backer Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah.

War crimes

Mr Trump has brushed off questions that his vow to wipe out Iranian power plants would constitute war crimes, saying he was “not at all” concerned about the prospect.

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

Iran’s envoy to the UN said on April 6 that Mr Trump’s threat to strike was “direct incitement to terrorism and provides clear evidence of intent to commit war crimes under international law”.

Iran’s Deputy Sports Minister Alireza Rahimi called on artists and athletes to form human chains at power plants across Iran on April 7.

“We will stand hand in hand to say: Attacking public infrastructure is a war crime,” he said.

A synagogue in the centre of Iran’s capital was heavily damaged by a US-Israeli projectile on April 7, according to the semi-official news agency Mehr.

Oil prices hovered around US$110 per barrel on April 7 as Mr Trump’s deadline loomed and there was little visible prospect of the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran has effectively closed the strait, a conduit for about a fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas supply, which has proved a powerful bargaining chip for Tehran that it is reluctant to relinquish.

Brent crude futures rose 0.4 per cent to US$110.19 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate crude futures climbed 0.8 per cent to US$113.31.

Mr Trump is on the verge of a political crisis, as Iran proves a tougher adversary than he predicted at the start of the conflict, which he said was aimed at stopping Iran from building nuclear weapons and developing missiles to deliver them.

With 13 American service members killed since the conflict began, Mr Trump found himself on an even more perilous ground when a US F-15E fighter jet was downed on April 3, and one of the two airmen was left stranded deep inside Iranian territory.

A rescue mission by US commandos to extract the stranded weapons specialist officer to safety helped avert a disastrous escalation of a political crisis for the President.

On the diplomatic front, the UN Security Council is set to vote on April 7 on a watered-down resolution addressing Iran’s threats to the Strait of Hormuz, after more robust earlier drafts faced potential vetoes.

Bahrain, backed by other oil-exporting Gulf countries, launched negotiations two weeks ago on a draft resolution that would have given a clear UN mandate to any state wishing to use force to unblock the strait.

But objections from several veto-holding permanent members have seen the text watered down, and the latest draft seen by AFP does not expressly authorise force. REUTERS, AFP