DUBAI/WASHINGTON, April 7 (Reuters) - Iran showed no sign of agreeing to U.S. President Donald Trump's demand that it open the Strait of Hormuz by the end of Tuesday or suffer massive attacks on its civilian infrastructure, in what would be the biggest escalation yet of the war.
A senior Iranian source told Reuters that Tehran had rejected a proposal conveyed by intermediaries for a temporary ceasefire. Talks on a lasting peace could begin only after the U.S. and Israel end their strikes, provide a guarantee they will not resume and offer compensation for damages.
Trump has abruptly called off similar threats over the past several weeks, citing what he has described as productive negotiations with unidentified figures in Iran, though Tehran has denied any substantive talks have taken place.
The two countries have so far exchanged proposals, with Pakistan acting as the main go-between, but there has been no sign of compromise, with both sides claiming to have won the war and demanding concessions from their foes to end it.
Iran's ambassador to Pakistan said on Tuesday "positive and productive endeavours" by Islamabad to mediate an end to the war were "approaching a critical, sensitive stage", but gave no further details.
A proposal brokered by Pakistan would call for a temporary ceasefire and the lifting of Iran's effective blockade of the strait, while putting off a broader peace settlement for further talks, according to a source familiar with the plan.
But Iran's 10-point response, as reported by IRNA news agency on Monday, would require a permanent end to the war, the lifting of sanctions and a promise of the reconstruction of Iranian sites damaged by the Israeli-U.S. strikes.
It would also include a new mechanism to govern passage through the Strait of Hormuz - previously an open international waterway through which a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas typically passed. Since the United States and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, Iran has effectively closed it to nearly all ships apart from its own.
Trump imposed his latest deadline on Iran in a social media message on Sunday that declared "Open the Fuckin' Strait, you crazy bastards, or you'll be living in Hell – JUST WATCH!", language Iranian officials described as desperate or even mad.
'TRUMP-IMPOSED COUNTDOWN CLOCK'
At a press conference on Monday, Trump doubled down: "The entire country can be taken out in one night, and that night might be tomorrow night," he said. "Every bridge in Iran will be decimated... Every power plant in Iran will be out of business, burning, exploding, and never to be used again."
That has left investors tottering between bets either on a quick resolution, or on an escalation that could prolong an unprecedented disruption to energy supplies and hammer the global economy.
"We are back on a Trump-imposed countdown clock and there's no way to predict with any confidence what will happen," said Kyle Rodda, senior markets analyst at Capital.com. "The more intrepid traders might make a bet one way or the other. Others will look to hedge risk or stay out entirely. But there's not much market participants can really do but wait and see."
Iran's envoy to the United Nations said Trump's threats were "direct incitement to terrorism and provide clear evidence of intent to commit war crimes under international law". Its top military command said Trump was "delusional."
.png)
0 Comments