Iran communicated its response through Pakistan, and signaled that it was unwilling to accept a temporary pause in hostilities.
Iran has rejected a new cease-fire proposal from the United States, insisting instead on a permanent end to the conflict along with firm guarantees against future attacks, according to the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).
The decision, announced on April 6, comes just hours before U.S. President Donald Trump’s deadline for Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face potential strikes on key infrastructure, including power plants and bridges.
Iran communicated its response through Pakistan, signaling that it is unwilling to accept a temporary pause in hostilities.
“We won’t merely accept a ceasefire,” Mojtaba Ferdousi Pour, head of Iran’s diplomatic mission in Cairo, said in remarks to The Associated Press.
“We only accept an end to the war with guarantees that we won’t be attacked again.”
At the White House, Trump said Iran is making a mistake by rejecting the proposal.
“They just don’t want to say ‘uncle,’” Trump told reporters.
“They don’t want to cry as the expression goes ‘uncle,’ but they will. And if they don’t, they’ll have no bridges. They’ll have no power plants. They’ll have no anything.
“I won’t go further because there are other things that are worse than those two.”
According to IRNA, Tehran’s proposal includes 10 provisions, such as ending regional conflicts, ensuring safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, lifting economic sanctions, and initiating reconstruction efforts.
Iranian and Omani officials are working on a framework to manage shipping through the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, a critical global energy corridor.
Meanwhile, tensions escalated further as Israel launched strikes on Iran’s South Pars natural gas field—the world’s largest, shared with Qatar—targeting a major source of the country’s revenue.
The attack also killed two senior commanders of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.
Israel described the strike as an effort to weaken Iran’s economic capacity, though it appeared separate from the U.S. ultimatum.
The development raises doubts about the viability of a proposed 45-day cease-fire amid rapidly intensifying hostilities.
The Strait of Hormuz remains at the center of the crisis. Iran’s control over the passage has already driven up oil prices and rattled global markets.
