Iran war: Tehran reportedly rejects ceasefire proposal

Saudi Arabia came under fire from Iranian attacks on Monday night, its Defense Ministry said.

The ministry reported shooting down seven ballistic missiles in a post on X.

It said the debris from the intercepted missiles came down close to energy facilities and the possible damage from the attack was being assessed.

Two civilians were killed when a drone hit their house close to Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan region of Iraq, Governor Omed Khoshnaw said.

The drone had reportedly been shot down.

Kurdistan's Counter-Terrorism Service said the drone had been fired from Iran.

Khoshnaw said Monday had been a difficult day for security forces due to a high number of drones and missiles being fired, according to local news site Rudaw.

Iran has repeatedly targeted the US embassy in Erbil as well as an airbase.

A day ahead of the deadline for Trump's ultimatum to Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the Iranian military said the US president's rhetoric was not going to stop its soldiers.

"The rude, arrogant rhetoric and baseless threats of the delusional US president... have no effect on the continuation of the offensive and crushing operations of the warriors of Islam against the American and Zionist enemies," military spokesperson Khatam Al-Anbiya said, according to semi-official news agency Tasnim.

The threats "will not be able to compensate for the disgrace and humiliation of America in the West Asian region," he added.

US President Donald Trump has warned once again to destroy Iranian infrastructure if no deal is reached by his deadline to Tehran on Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Trump said the US military had war plans to destroy all bridges and power plants in Iran.

"We have a plan — because of the power of our military — where every bridge in Iran will be decimated by 12 o'clock tomorrow night, where every power plant in Iran will be out of business, burning, exploding and never to be used again," Trump said. "I mean complete demolition by 12 o'clock [midnight], and it'll happen over a period of four hours if we want it to."

He meanwhile said Washington was ready to help Iran rebuild in case of a deal.

Tehran had earlier rejected a ceasefire proposal, Iranian media reported, presenting instead a 10-point list of demands which include reparations for the destruction caused by the war.

Trump had previously set 08:00 p.m. Washington time on Tuesday (midnight GMT) as a deadline for Iran to agree to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, but he had also pushed back on previous deadlines.

Smoke rises over Tehran as Israel and the US continue strikes across Iran. Israel has confirmed killing Revolutionary Guards intelligence chief Majid Khademi, Israel vows to target Iranian leaders "one by one". Airstrikes hit Qom and other cities, prompting Tehran to warn of retaliation while Donald Trump’s deadline on reopening the Strait of Hormuz approaches.

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani condemned "Iran's continued targeting of Qatar and the countries of the region" during a call with Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Monday night.

"This escalation toward countries that have distanced themselves from the war represents tampering with the security of the region and disregard for its stability," the Qatari Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

According to the statement, Al Thani also "stressed that targeting civilian infrastructure and the resources of peoples is unacceptable and condemned behavior from any party and under any circumstances, urging for respect for international law by all parties and sparing peoples the consequences of conflicts."

Iran's Foreign Ministry said in a post on the Telegram messaging platform that Araghchi stressed in the phone call that the current situation was "exclusively" the result of US-Israeli attacks on Iran, as well as the US "misuse of its military bases and assets" in the region.

US President Donald Trump said Washington attempted to arm certain groups in Iran to fight back against the government.

Trump made the comments while speaking to reporters at a White House Easter event but provided minimal details. He did not clarify a timeframe, including under which president the purported weapons transfers took place.

"We sent guns, a lot of guns, they were supposed to go to the people so they could fight back against these thugs," Trump claimed while speaking to reporters.

"You know what happened? The people that they sent them to kept them."

He added: "So I'm very upset with a certain group of people, and they're going to pay a big price for that."

Trump reiterated his belief that the Iranian people would "fight back" against the Islamic Republic authorities if they could obtain guns.

US President Donald Trump has reiterated his Tuesday deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or make a deal — despite having repeatedly pushed back similar ultimatums in the past.

"The entire country could be taken out in one night, and that night might be tomorrow night," the president said. 

Meanwhile, Trump also provided more information about the rescue of two US troops whose fighter jet was downed over Iran. He said more than 170 aircraft were used in the search and rescue operation.

He also threatened a journalist who first reported that one of the troops had been rescued, telling them to reveal the source of the leak.

"We're going to go to the media company that released it, and we're going to say: 'National security. Give it up or go to jail,'" Trump said.

US President Donald Trump dismissed concerns that his repeated threats to rain "hell" down on Iran by attacking its energy sites, bridges and other infrastructure could lead to war crimes.

During the White House's annual Easter egg roll, reporters asked Trump what he would say to those who point out that attacks on power plants breach the laws of war.

"I'm not worried about it," Trump replied.

"You know the war crime? The war crime is allowing Iran to have a nuclear weapon."

Separately, the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross on Monday called on governments to not make deliberate threats — whether rhetorical or in action — against civilian infrastructure as well as nuclear facilities.

"States must respect and ensure respect for the rules of ​war in both what they say and what they do," Mirjana ​Spoljaric said in a statement.

"The world cannot ​succumb to ‌a political culture that prioritises death over life."

US President Donald Trump confirmed on Monday that a 45-day ceasefire proposal had been presented to him, and that he studied it.

"It's a significant proposal, it's a significant step. It's not good enough, but it's a very significant step," Trump told reporters during an Easter event at the White House.

"It could end very quickly, ​the war, if they do what they have to ⁠do. ​They have to ​do certain things. They know ​that, they've been ‌negotiating I think in good faith."

He added that his Tuesday deadline to Iran was final.

The ceasefire proposal was reportedly put forward by Egyptian, Pakistani and Turkish mediators. Trump's comments come after Iranian state news agency IRNA said that Tehran "has rejected a ceasefire and insists on the need for a definitive end to the conflict." 

Meanwhile, Trump also gave an update on the two US troops whose fighter jet was shot down over Iran, prompting a dramatic search and rescue operation over two days.

"They are both recovering very well," Trump said. "They were both injured, and they’re doing well."

Iran has rejected the latest ceasefire proposal, reportedly submitted by regional mediators, as it seeks a permanent end to the war, its state media reported on Monday.

"We won't merely accept a ceasefire," Mojtaba Ferdousi Pour, head of the Iranian diplomatic mission in Cairo, told The Associated Press. "We only accept an end of the war with guarantees that we won’t be attacked again."

Tehran conveyed its response to mediator Pakistan, the official IRNA news agency reported.

Its response instead gave ten clauses, including an end to conflicts in the region, a protocol for safe passage through the strategic Strait of Hormuz , lifting of sanctions and reconstruction, the agency reported.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz claimed on Monday that two strikes on Iranian petrochemical sites had dealt a "severe economic blow" to Iran.

Katz described the attack on the South Pars gas field plant at Asaluyeh on the Persian Gulf as a "powerful strike on the largest petrochemical facility in Iran," claiming it was responsible for "about 50% of the country's petrochemical production."

The gas field is considered the largest known natural gas reserve in the world and is shared with Qatar.

According to local Iranian officials, Israel also carried out a similar strike on the Mahshahr Petrochemical Special Zone in the southwestern Khuzestan province, close to the border with Iraq at the northern end of the Persian Gulf, adding that five people were killed.

"At this point, the two facilities, which together account for roughly 85% of Iran's petrochemical exports, have been taken out of operation and are no longer functioning," Katz said.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed on Monday that US-Israeli air strikes had impacted close to Iran's Bushehr nuclear power ​plant – including one just 75 meters (250 feet) from the site's perimeter.

The ‌United Nations' atomic watchdog said its conclusion was ‌based on independent ‌analysis of new satellite imagery and detailed knowledge of the plant.

According to Iranian state media, Saturday's attack near the plant killed a member of security staff and damaged an ancillary building, although the plant itself was not damaged.

The head of Iran's nuclear energy authority has criticized the IAEA for its perceived failure to act on repeated strikes near the power plant.

In a letter to IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi, Iran's Atomic Energy Organization chief Mohammad Eslami said the UN watchdog's inaction "emboldens aggression" and warned ​that such attacks risked the release of radioactive material into the atmosphere.

Such an event could have "irreparable consequences" for people, ​the environment ‌and neighboring countries, he said.

Eslami described the attacks as a clear ​breach ⁠of international law, and criticized what he called a "lack of decisive action" by Grossi and the IAEA, saying mere expressions of concern were insufficient.

The Bushehr ​facility, Iran's only nuclear power plant, is located about 760 kilometers (470 miles) south of Tehran on the Persian Gulf, directly across from Kuwait and not far from Kharg Island, which US President Donald Trump has threatened to seize.

The plant's Russian reactor has been generating electricity since 2011. The Russian state-owned nuclear company Rosatom is reportedly in the process of building a second reactor for the site.

Iran's Fars news agency reported a series of blasts near a refinery in the costal town of Asaluyeh, the heart of the Iranian gas industry.

The area is part of the South Pars natural gas field, the world's largest known gas reserve, providing some 70% of Iran's total gas supply.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on Monday said that Israel attacked the South Pars petrochemical plant at Asaluyeh, saying the strike targeted "the largest petrochemical facility in Iran ... responsible for about 50% of the country’s petrochemical production."

An Iranian facility in the area was already targeted by Israel in mid-March, which was described as a major escalation at the time. Iran responded to that strike by attacking a Qatari gas facility and causing significant damage. 

US President Donald Trump had said he wasn't informed ahead of time about that strike, but added that Israel had promised to refrain from striking sensitive Iranian gas facilities in South Pars. 

However, since then, Trump himself has threatened to target Iranian energy infrastructure if Iran does not open the Strait of Hormuz by a Tuesday deadline. 

European Council President Antonio Costa said Monday that "any targeting of civilian infrastructure, namely energy facilities, is illegal and unacceptable," after US President Donald Trump threatened to bomb power plants and bridges this week if Iran did not reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

In a post on X, Costa said escalation would not achieve peace. 

"Only negotiations will, namely the ongoing efforts led by regional partners," he said.

His statements come amid reports that a new ceasefire proposal has been presented to the US and Iran by regional mediators. There was no official response from Washington or Tehran about the status of potential talks.

"The Iranian civilian population is the main victim of the Iranian regime," Costa wrote. "It would also be the main victim of a widening of the military campaign."