Tehran rejects Trump's ultimatum as 45-day truce plan emerges

Iran on Monday rejected an expletive-laced ultimatum from United States President Donald Trump to escalate strikes on Iranian power plants and bridges. The threat comes after the US set a Tuesday deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. As tensions escalate, US and Israeli forces launched a wave of attacks that killed more than 34 people in Iran, which responded with missile fire targeting Israel and its Gulf neighbors.

Facing mounting domestic pressure and growing public anxiety, Trump warned Tehran that failure to reach a deal to reopen the strait would set the country "back to the Stone Age".

"Tuesday will be Power Plant Day and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran," Trump threatened in a social media post, adding that if the strait remained closed, "you'll be living in Hell".

Tehran, however, has shown no sign of backing down from its chokehold on shipping through the strait, which was fully open before the US and Israel launched the war on Feb 28.

Following Trump's threat, Iran's Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf called the threats of targeting Iran's infrastructure "reckless". "You won't gain anything through war crimes," he wrote on X.

Brent crude, the international benchmark, rose to $109 in early Monday spot trading, some 50 percent above pre-war levels. On Sunday, OPEC+ — comprising members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies including Russia — agreed to a modest output increase of 206,000 barrels per day starting in May.

University targeted

So far, both sides have threatened and struck civilian targets, including oil fields and desalination plants critical to drinking water supplies. Iran's joint military command warned of stepped-up attacks on regional oil and civilian infrastructure if the US and Israel continue to target such Iranian sites, state television reported.

On Monday, Tehran endured another night of heavy bombardment, with strikes hitting the eastern, southern and western districts of the capital. State media reported at least 34 fatalities, including six children. The most high-profile damage occurred at Sharif University of Technology, where campus buildings suffered unprecedented destruction.

Iran also continued its attacks against Israel on Monday, with a missile striking a residential building in Haifa, killing at least two people and wounding four. Across the Gulf, power, desalination and oil facilities were hit in Kuwait, and an oil installation targeted in Bahrain.

In the United Arab Emirates, air defenses engaged incoming missile and drone attacks on Monday morning. A drone strike damaged a du telecommunications building in Fujairah, but no injuries were reported, authorities said. Falling debris from an intercepted attack wounded one person in an industrial area in Abu Dhabi.

The violence came after an intense operation on Friday rescued the missing crew member of an F-15 fighter jet shot down over Iran, involving dozens of aircraft and closing a dramatic and politically perilous chapter in the war.

But before US forces withdrew, they destroyed two C-130 cargo planes and at least two MH-6 Little Bird helicopters after the aircraft became stuck in terrain. Iran claimed it had shot them down, with state media broadcasting footage of the charred wreckage.

Meanwhile, Iran and the US have received a plan to end hostilities that could take effect on Monday and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a source familiar with the proposals told Reuters on Monday. But a senior Iranian official said Iran will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for a temporary truce and sees Washington as not ready for a permanent ceasefire.

Under the plan, a ceasefire would take effect immediately to reopen the strait, with 15-20 days to finalize a broader settlement. Tentatively dubbed the "Islamabad Accord", the deal would include a regional framework for the strait, with final in-person talks in Pakistan.

Earlier, Axios reported the US, Iran and a group of regional mediators are discussing terms for a potential 45-day truce that could lead to a permanent end to the war.

Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, warned on Sunday that any settlement must guarantee unimpeded access through the Strait of Hormuz, adding that a deal failing to curb Iran's nuclear program, missiles and drones would pave the way for "a more dangerous, more volatile Middle East".

cuihaipei@chinadaily.com.cn