Trump Says Iran Ceasefire Proposal Not Good Enough
Citing US, Israeli, and regional sources, the report said chances of reaching even a partial deal within the next 48 hours remain slim
WASHINGTON, United States: US President Donald Trump said Monday that a proposed 45-day ceasefire with Iran was a "very significant step" but "not good enough" for him to sign, as Iranian officials vowed to keep fighting.
Talk of a ceasefire came as the US and Israel struck targets across Iran, including major petrochemical facilities, while time ticked down to Trump's Tuesday deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face attacks on its civilian infrastructure.
Meanwhile Iran continued missile and drone attacks around the region.
Trump said intermediaries between the US and Iran "are negotiating now" on improving the ceasefire proposal, which US media reported was being mediated by Pakistan, Egypt and Turkey.
"It's not good enough, but it's a very significant step," he told reporters at the White House.
Trump added that he would still go through with his threat against civilian targets if a deal is not reached.
Iran's IRNA state news agency said Tehran "has rejected a ceasefire and insists on the need for a definitive end to the conflict" in a message relayed to America via Pakistan.
Neither Trump nor IRNA named any specifics of the proposed ceasefire.
Iran's military would "continue the war as long as the political authorities see fit", army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia told the ISNA news agency. — AFP
Tehran Rejects Latest Ceasefire
TEHRAN: Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency says Tehran has rejected the latest ceasefire proposal and wants a permanent end to the war.
The report comes shortly before U.S. President Donald Trump’s deadline for Tehran to open the Strait of Hormuz or see its power plants and bridges attacked.
The news agency said Iran had conveyed its response to the U.S. through Pakistan.
“We won’t merely accept a ceasefire,” Mojtaba Ferdousi Pour, head of the Iranian diplomatic mission in Cairo, told The Associated Press on Monday. “We only accept an end of the war with guarantees that we won’t be attacked again.”
On the Strait of Hormuz, Ferdousi Pour said Iranian and Omani officials were working on a mechanism for administrating the shipping chokepoint.
Israel Says It Killed The Head Of Intelligence For Iran’s Revolutionary Guard
The head of intelligence for Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, Maj. Gen. Majid Khademi, was killed, according to Iranian state media. Israel claimed the killing Monday. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said: “Iran’s leaders live with a sense of being targeted. We will continue to hunt them down one by one.”
Israel and the United States carried out a wave of attacks on Iran on Monday, killing more than 25 people. Iran responded with missile fire on Israel and its Gulf Arab neighbors.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s deadline for Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz loomed. Trump gave Tehran a deadline that expires Monday night Washington time, saying if no deal was reached to reopen the strait, the U.S. would hit Iran’s power plants and other infrastructure targets and set the country “back to the stone ages.” Following Trump’s expletive-laced threat on Easter Sunday, Iran’s parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf called the threats of targeting Iran’s infrastructure “reckless.”
US, Iran Discuss 45-Day Ceasefire: Report
With a deadline set by US President Donald Trump fast approaching, the US, Iran, and regional mediators are discussing terms for a possible 45-day ceasefire that could eventually lead to a permanent end to the war, according to Axios.
Citing US, Israeli, and regional sources, the report said chances of reaching even a partial deal within the next 48 hours remain slim. Mediators have warned Iranian officials that time is running out and that this window represents the last opportunity to avoid large-scale destruction.
These urgent negotiations come amid fears of a major escalation, including potential US-Israeli strikes on Iran’s civilian infrastructure and possible retaliatory attacks on energy and water facilities in Gulf countries.
The original 10-day deadline given to Iran was set to expire Monday evening but was extended by 20 hours, with a new deadline of Tuesday at 8 pm ET announced by Trump on Truth Social. Sources say plans for a large-scale bombing campaign targeting Iran’s energy facilities are ready, though the extension aims to allow one final chance for diplomacy.
Negotiations are being conducted through mediators from Pakistan, Egypt, and Turkey, along with direct message exchanges between US envoy Steve Witkoff and Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. However, Iran has not accepted any of the proposals put forward so far.
The proposed deal involves two phases. The first would be a 45-day ceasefire, during which further negotiations toward a permanent resolution would take place. This ceasefire could be extended if needed.
The second phase would focus on ending the war completely. Key issues include reopening the Strait of Hormuz and addressing Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium, either through removal or dilution.
Iran considers these issues major bargaining chips and is unlikely to fully concede them in exchange for only a temporary ceasefire. Mediators are exploring whether Iran can take partial steps during the initial phase while also seeking assurances from the US that the ceasefire will lead to a lasting peace.
Iranian officials have emphasized they do not want a situation similar to Gaza or Lebanon, where ceasefires exist on paper but are frequently broken. Mediators are also working on confidence-building measures from Washington to address Iran’s concerns.
The White House has declined to comment on the negotiations. Meanwhile, regional mediators remain concerned that any military escalation could severely impact Gulf nations’ critical infrastructure.
Amid the rising tensions, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy stated that conditions in the Strait of Hormuz will “never return” to their previous state, particularly for the US and Israel.
Airstrike in Irani City of Eslamshar Kills At Least 13
An airstrike early Monday struck a residential building in a city southwest of Iran’s capital, Tehran, killing at least 13 people, Iranian media reported.
The semiofficial Fars news agency and Nour News reported the strike near Eslamshar.
It wasn’t clear why the building had been struck.
Neither Israel nor the United States claimed the strikes early Monday, but they came after Trump issued a profanity-laced threat to Iran that it must reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Airstrike in Irani City of Qom Kills At Least 5
The state-run IRAN daily newspaper said in an online message that an airstrike in a residential area of Qom killed at least five people. Qom is a holy Shiite seminary city just south of Tehran.
It wasn’t unclear what the target of the strike was.
Iran has not provided overall casualty figures from the war in days. It also hasn’t discussed its materiel losses.
Live Updates
- 6 April 2026 10:40 PM IST
Donald Trump defends vulgar language in social media post
The president used not-suitable-for-work language in a Sunday social media posting warning Iran he was serious about targeting the country’s infrastructure if it doesn’t open the Strait of Hormuz by his Tuesday deadline. He ended the short post by saying, “Praise be to Allah.”
Asked by a reporter about his salty language, Trump responded he used it “only to make my point.” - 6 April 2026 8:43 PM IST
Iran Rejects Ceasefire Proposal
Iran's state-run IRNA news agency says Tehran rejects latest ceasefire proposal and wants permanent end to the war, reports AP.
- 6 April 2026 8:43 PM IST
Israel’s military says it struck three Tehran airports overnight
The military says the strikes hit dozens of helicopters and aircraft it said belonged to the Iranian Air Force. It said the strikes targeted Bahram airport, Mehrabad airport and Azmayesh airport. — AP
- 6 April 2026 8:41 PM IST
Red Cross president says wartime destruction of essential civilian infrastructure must stop
In a statement released Monday, Mirjana Spoljaric, the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, raised alarm about destruction of civilian infrastructure and nuclear facilities in the Iran war.
“Across the Middle East, our teams are seeing the destruction of infrastructure essential for civilian life,” including hospitals, schools, power plants, water systems and more, Spoljaric wrote.
“Most alarming are potential threats to nuclear facilities. Any miscalculation can cause irreversible consequences for generations to come.” — AP
- 6 April 2026 8:37 PM IST
Iran confirms communication with mediators
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei, has told journalists in Tehran that messages are being exchanged, but “negotiations are entirely incompatible with ultimatums, crimes and threats of war crimes.” — AP
- 6 April 2026 8:34 PM IST
Israel attacks key Iranian petrochemical plant as Trump’s deadline looms
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Monday that Israel attacked the South Pars petrochemical plant at Asaluyeh in Iran. He made the announcement after Iran said the facility had been attacked. An Israeli attack on South Pars facilities in March sparked major Iranian attacks targeting oil and gas infrastructure across the Gulf Arab states. — AP
- 6 April 2026 7:19 PM IST
Trump yet to sign off on Iran ceasefire deal: White House
Trump yet to sign off on Iran ceasefire deal: White House
WASHINGTON, United States, April 6, 2026 (AFP) - The White House on Monday confirmed there was a deal under consideration for a 45-day ceasefire with Iran, but that President Donald Trump had "not signed off" on the proposal and is continuing the war.US media have reported that a proposal by mediators for a 45-day ceasefire in the Middle East war has been received by Washington."This is one of many ideas, and POTUS (Trump) has not signed off on it. Operation Epic Fury continues," a White House official told AFP, adding that the president will speak more on the conflict at a press conference scheduled for 1:00 pm (1700 GMT). - 6 April 2026 6:57 PM IST
Strikes target second Iran petrochemical plant near Shiraz: authorities
Strikes target second Iran petrochemical plant near Shiraz: authorities
TEHRAN, April 6, 2026 (AFP) - Strikes hit a petrochemical complex near the Iranian city of Shiraz on Monday, local authorities said, shortly after an attack on another facility further south."Following the attack on the petrochemical complex in Marvdasht... the fire has been contained," authorities said in a statement carried by the Fars news agency, which reported "minor damage". - 6 April 2026 6:37 PM IST
Iran petrochemical site hit: Company says situation ‘under control’, damage assessment underway
The operator of Iran's largest petrochemical complex said the situation was "under control" after Israel on Monday bombed the facility, with the extent of the damage being assessed.
"A fire has been brought under control. The situation is currently under control, and technical aspects, as well as the extent of the damage, are under investigation," state news agency IRNA cited the National Petrochemical Company as saying, adding that no injuries had been reported.
