Here's the latest
• Ceasefire proposal: US President Donald Trump has not signed off on a proposal drafted by countries calling for a 45-day ceasefire and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a White House official said. Iran has rejected a temporary ceasefire and said it has formulated a response to the US’ demands to end the war.
• Trump’s deadline: Trump appeared to set a Tuesday deadline for Iran to reopen the strait. Iran says the consequences of infrastructure attacks will stretch beyond the region. Trump will hold a news conference today on the rescue of an F-15 crew member whose jet was downed over Iran.
• Latest strikes: Israel said it struck a key petrochemical complex in Iran. Separately, the Israel Defense Forces said it killed two senior Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps officials. Six children were among those killed in strikes on Tehran, according to state media, and four people were killed in an Iranian strike on Haifa, Israel.
Iranian embassies on social media mock Trump's expletive-laden message
Iranian embassies around the world have responded with ridicule to US President Donald Trump’s expletive-laden message demanding that Iran fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
CNN’s international correspondent Paula Hancocks reports:
On Sunday, US President Donald Trump posted an expletive-laden message on his Truth Social account, demanding Iran open the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian embassies around the world have responded with ridicule. CNN's international correspondent Paula Hancocks reports.
How diplomacy between the US and Iran has progressed during the war
Countries working to end the Iran war have drafted a proposal calling for a 45-day ceasefire and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a person familiar told CNN today, as US President Donald Trump threatens to dramatically escalate the conflict.
Indirect nuclear talks were taking place between the US and Iran before the war began, with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi saying shortly after the conflict broke out that Trump “ultimately ordered (the) bombing of the negotiating table.”
In the days following this, both Trump and Iranian officials rejected the idea of negotiating an end to the conflict, though towards the end of last month, it seemed that the US president had a change of heart.
Here’s how things have progressed since then:
What Trump and the US has said
After rejecting and downplaying prospects of a ceasefire with Iran for weeks, on March 23, Trump said in a Truth Social post that the US and Iran had held “very good and productive conversations regarding a complete and total resolution of our hostilities in the Middle East.”
Trump said Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were involved in talks, but did not identify the person they were communicating with on the Iranian side.
After several non-committal public comments made by Iran, Trump expressed frustration with Tehran’s approach on March 26, warning the country to “get serious soon, before it is too late.” Since then, Trump has made several more threats, including that Iran would be “living in Hell” if it doesn’t open the Strait of Hormuz by Tuesday.
What Iran has said
Speaking today, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei rejected the idea of a temporary ceasefire, saying it would allow the US and Israel to pause and prepare for the continuation of the war.
“We are calling for an end to the war and for preventing its recurrence,” Baghaei was cited as saying by Iran’s state news agency IRNA.
Iran has frequently rejected the notion that is in talks with the US, despite Trump’s claims.
Esmail Baghaei, the spokesperson for Iran’s foreign ministry, asked on March 24: “Can anyone believe (the US’) claims of diplomacy or mediation are credible when they started this war and continue attacking us?”
Araghchi said the next day that the US had sent multiple messages to Tehran through what he described as “friendly countries,” but he stressed that the communications did not amount to negotiations.
How Pakistan and other countries have been involved
On March 23, when Trump first said that the US and Iran were discussing an end to the war, a Pakistani Foreign Office spokesperson told CNN that Islamabad was “already ready to host talks.”
Two days later, two senior Trump administration officials told CNN that officials were working to arrange a meeting in Pakistan to discuss an off-ramp to the war.
Pakistan also delivered a 15-point plan proposed by Washington to Iran that addressed issues like Tehran’s nuclear ambitions and its ballistic missile program.
Other countries, including Turkey, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, have also been working to facilitate an end to the war.
CNN’s Kevin Liptak, Aileen Graef, Nadeen Ebrahim, Billy Stockwell, Adam Pourahmadi, Betsy Klein, Donald Judd, Mohammed Tawfeeq, Todd Symons, Sophia Saifi, Azaz Syed, Sana Noor Haq, Ivan Watson and Sophie Tanno contributed to this reporting.
Red Cross joins calls for de-escalation after Trump threatens Iranian infrastructure
Threats against civilian infrastructure cannot “become the new norm in warfare,” the Red Cross said today, becoming the latest organization calling for de-escalation after US President Donald Trump threatened to hit Iranian power plants and bridges if the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has warned that attacks on Iran’s infrastructure will prompt consequences that stretch beyond the region and will have “destructive effects on global energy and the economy.” Iran has also targeted energy facilities and other infrastructure in Persian Gulf countries.
Earlier today, European Council President António Costa also warned that the targeting of civilian infrastructure, including energy facilities, would be “illegal and unacceptable.”
Israel strikes large Iranian petrochemical facility, defense minister says
Israel struck Iran’s South Pars petrochemical complex in the southwestern energy hub of Asaluyeh, Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Monday.
The attack targeted the Jam and Damavand petrochemical facilities which are vital parts of Iran’s energy and export network, according to Iran’s state-owned Tasnim news agency.
Katz described the sites as “critical assets responsible for around half of Iran’s petrochemical output”. The Asaluyeh strike follows an Israeli military attack last week on petrochemical plants in southwestern Iran’s Khuzestan Province.
Katz claimed that combined the two complexes account for roughly 85% of Iran’s petrochemical exports, and that they have been rendered inoperative. He said the strike were “a severe economic blow” that would cost Iran “tens of billions of dollars” in lost petrochemical profits. Israel says those profits are used to fund Iran’s military.
Israel says it killed senior Iranian special forces commander
Israel says it’s killed a prominent Iranian commander in a Tehran strike, the latest of many senior officials in the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), the Iranian military and the Basij paramilitary group to die since the conflict began at the end of February.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Monday the air force had “eliminated” Asghar Bagheri, Commander of the Quds Force’s Special Operations Unit since 2019.
The Quds force carries out operations abroad as part of the IRGC. There’s been no comment from Tehran on the Israeli claim.
“Bagheri held a series of senior positions within the Quds Force, during which he advanced numerous efforts and was involved in attacks targeting Israeli and American individuals worldwide,” the IDF said.
“Under his command, the unit advanced operations targeting IDF soldiers on the Syrian-Israel border.”
The statement on Bagheri followed the killing of another senior security official in Iran. Maj. Gen. Majid Khademi, head of Intelligence for the IRGC, was assassinated early Monday, according to a statement from the Corps.
Yemen’s Houthis will respect ceasefire with Washington for now, senior official says
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels will uphold the ceasefire with the United States as long as Washington “adheres to its commitment to halt its aggression” against them, a senior official said.
The Houthis last month resumed launching ballistic missiles and drones at Israel in support of Iran. They have yet to launch attacks on shipping in the Red Sea or at US assets in the region, saying they do not intend to do so unless the war escalates.
“There is no intention to target any Muslim country except in response to aggression against Yemen,” senior Houthi leader Mohammed Ali Al Houthi said in comments communicated to CNN through the rebel group’s ministry of information.
Ali Al-Houthi added that the group’s objective “is to prevent the Red Sea from being used militarily against any Muslim country,” noting that it has the military capabilities to “protect” it.
The Houthis control most of Yemen’s Red Sea coast. For nearly two years, until May 2025, they attacked commercial ships they alleged had ties to Israel, forcing many major shipping companies to abandon one of the world’s busiest trade routes.
Should the war escalate, however, the Houthis have suggested they might close the Bab al Mandab Strait at the southern end of the Red Sea. Another Houthi official told CNN last week that it “is a viable option.”
Asked if the Houthis would target Saudi Red Sea ports, which Riyadh has been using to bypass the Strait of Hormuz, Ali Al-Houthi said “there is no intention to do so as long as Saudi Arabia adheres to de-escalation and does not join America and Israel in escalating the conflict against our country.”
Iran, which is closely allied with the Houthis, has been targeting Gulf Arab states hosting US bases in the region.
Al-Houthi insisted that the group’s decision to attack Israel was unilateral, and that its actions are “not at any request from anyone.”
Last-ditch proposal calls for 45-day Iran war ceasefire, but Trump hasn’t signed off
Countries working to end the war in Iran have drafted a proposal calling for a 45-day ceasefire and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz as US President Donald Trump threatens to dramatically escalate the conflict, a person familiar with the proposal said.
The plan was sent to the United States and Iran late on Sunday and is viewed as a last-ditch effort to stave off the massive strikes on Iranian power plants and other infrastructure that Trump has threatened if the Strait of Hormuz remains blocked.
A White House official said Trump had not signed off on the proposal.
“This is one of many ideas,” the official said, adding the US military operation in Iran was continuing apace. The president is expected to address the war today at a 1 p.m. ET news conference at the White House.
Pakistan, Egypt and Turkey have all been acting as mediators between the two warring countries but indirect talks stalled last week and work toward an in-person meeting appeared to end.
The latest proposal was sent to Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and US special envoy Steve Witkoff. The hope is the 45-day ceasefire window would allow for negotiations to permanently end the conflict.
Already, Iran appeared to reject any temporary ceasefire, saying it would allow adversaries to pause and prepare for the continuation of the war.
Still, mediators hope the plan can be enacted before Trump’s deadline of 8 p.m. ET Tuesday. Axios first reported on the emerging ceasefire proposal.
Strikes near Iranian power plant could cause "severe" radiological accident, IAEA says
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Monday that ongoing military activity near Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant could cause a “severe radiological accident” with potential consequences beyond the country’s borders.
On Sunday, a projectile hit an area near the power plant – often referred to as BNPP – marking the fourth time the site has been targeted since the war began, according to Iranian state media agency Tasnim.
Based on independent analysis, the IAEA confirmed that strikes had recently hit close to the plant, including one just 75 metres from the site’s perimeter. The agency said the power plant itself had not been damaged.
US gas prices rise to $4.12 a gallon
The average price of a gallon of US regular gas edged up another cent Monday, reaching $4.12 in the latest reading from AAA. Gas prices are now up 38% since the start of the war in Iran.
Last week, the average price crossed the $4 a gallon mark for the first time since 2022. Prices have increased all but three days since March 1, and those three declines were by an almost imperceptible fraction of a penny that left prices unchanged each day when rounded to the nearest cent.
More increases could be on the way. Oil futures soared in trading Thursday after President Donald Trump said in a speech to the nation Wednesday that US forces would hit Iran “extremely hard over the next two to three weeks,” even as he sought to Americans that the war is nearing an end and that gas prices would quickly fall once it does.
While prices were slightly lower in early trading Monday, the drop was far short of last week’s climb.
Even if oil prices start to fall sharply as Trump predicts, it could take weeks for pump prices to start to decline.
Top EU official says any targeting of energy sites would be "illegal" after Trump threat
European Council President António Costa warned Monday that the targeting of energy facilities would be “illegal and unacceptable” after US President Donald Trump threatened to hit Iranian power plants if the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened.
Without directly referencing Trump’s comments, Costa said the “targeting of civilian infrastructure, namely energy facilities, is illegal and unacceptable.”
The White House has said the US military would always act in accordance with the law, but legal experts have told CNN that attacks on civilian infrastructure such as power facilities would likely constitute a war crime.
On Sunday, Trump appeared to threaten Iran’s critical infrastructure, writing on social media, “Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran,” while calling on Tehran to “open the Fuckin’ Strait.”
Costa said the European Union also urges Iran – which has targeted energy facilities in Persian Gulf countries – to “put an end to its attacks against countries in the region and to allow for the reestablishment of full freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.”
Qatari tankers turn back before attempting Hormuz crossing
Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains severely curtailed, with tracking data showing that two tankers carrying Qatari natural gas turned around before transiting the strait on Monday.
The tankers – the Rasheed and Al Dayeen – had been anchored off the Qatari coast since the beginning of the conflict, but set sail Sunday. It’s unclear why they turned back.
US President Donald Trump has set a deadline of late Tuesday for the Strait to be reopened, threatening Iran with punitive strikes if it does not allow shipping to pass freely.
Some tankers are getting through, among them the Turkish-registered Ocean Thunder, which crossed the strait Sunday bound for Malaysia.
It’s the third Turkish vessel to leave the Persian Gulf since the conflict erupted, according to the Turkish transport ministry.
Maritime tracking data indicates that about 5% of the pre-war volume of shipping is getting through the strait. Shipping analysts Windward reported that there were 20 transits on Saturday – 14 of them outbound.
The ships entering the Gulf included two-Iranian flagged vessels that were not carrying oil, Windward said.
About two thirds of the oil leaving the Gulf in the week to Saturday was bound for China, according to Windward.
Pakistan and India have also negotiated with Iran for guaranteed passage of some of their flagged vessels.
Iraq has been exempted from the restrictions, according to the semi-official Iranian news agency Tasnim.
“Countries such as China, India, Pakistan, and Turkey have managed to secure passage for some of their vessels through direct negotiations,” it added.
Iran has reportedly been charging up to $2 million per vessel for passage trough Hormuz. It’s unclear if any ship operators have paid the fee.
Israel accelerates production of missile interceptors amid war with Iran
Israel’s government has approved a plan to expedite production of Arrow missile interceptors, the defense ministry said Monday, as the war with Iran enters its sixth week and Iranian retaliation shows no sign of easing.
The Arrow system forms the top layer of Israel’s multi-tiered defense network, designed to intercept long range ballistic missiles outside the atmosphere and at its edge. It is the primary weapon Iran has deployed against Israel during the current conflict and the 12-day war in June.
The decision, advanced by Defense Minister Israel Katz and ministry director General Amir Baraam, was approved by the ministerial committee for procurement. It will advance a new deal with Israel’s Aerospace Industries that “will enable a substantial increase in both the production rate and number of interceptors, as part of preparations for developments in the campaign”, the defense ministry said in a statement.
The move follows reports suggesting Israel may be facing strains in its interceptor stockpiles. In March, Israeli military officials denied Semafor report citing US officials as saying that Israel had informed the US that it is “running critically low” on interceptors.
Katz said Monday that “Israel has sufficient interceptors to defend its citizens,” adding that the move is intended to “ensure continued operational freedom and the necessary endurance”.
“The ayatollah regime should know: the state of Israel is strong and resilient prepared to continue the campaign as long as necessary,” Katz said.
Araghchi: Consequences of infrastructure attacks "will not be limited to Iran and the region"
Attacks on Iran’s infrastructure will have consequences that stretch beyond Iran and the region, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told his French counterpart on Monday.
“This threat amounts to the normalization of war crimes and genocide,” Araghchi told French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot during a phone call, referring to US President Donald Trump’s threats to attack Iranian power plants and other civilian infrastructure.
The Iranian official added that if any attack takes place, it will be met with “a decisive and comprehensive response” from Iran’s armed forces.
UAE insists a ceasefire in Iran must address regional security, official says
The United Arab Emirates insists that any ceasefire in Iran must address Gulf Arab states’ security concerns and avoid “a much more dangerous environment in the region,” a top official said.
Anwar Gargash, advisor to the UAE president, told CNN that Abu Dhabi wants “to see an end to this conflict, but an end to this conflict should not also create a continuous instability in the region.” Any agreement would have to address Tehran’s nuclear program as well as the missiles and drones “which are still raining on us and on other countries.”
“And then, if Iran also wants to see a non-belligerence agreement, that agreement has to extend to everybody. It’s not only American-Israeli actions against Iran, but it has to be also Iran’s belligerence against its neighbors,” he said.
Iran’s attacks on its Gulf Arab neighbors are likely to “concretize” the US role in the Gulf, “not reduce it,” he said. “We will also see Israeli influence become more prominent in the Gulf, not less.”
A key demand for Iran in stopping the war is the closure of US bases in the region, which it says are used to stage attacks against Iran.
“Our main security partner is the United States. We will double down on our relationship with the United States,” Gargash added.
He said the Strait of Hormuz has to be “part and parcel” of any settlement, “with a clear agreement on that,” adding that while the UAE is “not ready to act as a maritime force” at the strait, “we will join any American-led effort, international effort to secure navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.”
Gargash insisted that the UAE is resilient and that its economic fundamentals are strong.
“If you asked me over the last 20 years, what is the sort of unlikely worst-case scenario that the UAE can face, I would have said a full Iranian attack,” he said. “And this is what we are really seeing… And now, when the worst-case scenario is happening… we are coping very well, and we are finding out that we are very resilient.”
Oil prices dip but stay elevated after Trump's new threats to Iran
Oil prices are slightly down today but remain high, after US President Donald Trump issued a new ultimatum for Tehran.
Brent crude, the global benchmark, inched down 0.9% to $108.1 a barrel, while WTI crude, the US benchmark, fell 1.2% to $110.2.
Oil is traded as a futures contract, which means an agreement to buy or sell at a specified price on a future date. Monday’s Brent price reflects oil for delivery in June, whereas the WTI price reflects oil for delivery in May.
Trump on Sunday threatened to hit Iran’s power plants and other infrastructure if Tehran did not open the Strait of Hormuz – a critical oil and natural gas shipping route that has been effectively shut for more than a month now.
He also appeared to set a new Tuesday, 8 p.m. ET deadline for the reopening. In response, an Iranian official said the strait would stay closed until the country is “fully compensated” for war damages.
But traders may have drawn some relief from reports of diplomatic efforts. For example, CNN reported yesterday, citing sources, that Oman had held talks with Iran about the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, Pakistan and Egypt have worked to keep communications open between Washington and Tehran, a Pakistani official source told CNN yesterday.
In Asia, where most countries are heavily dependent on crude and natural gas supplies from the Middle East, stock markets closed mostly lower on the day.
Two of the outliers, Japan’s benchmark index Nikkei 225 and South Korea’s Kospi, rose 0.6% and 1.4% respectively. Hong Kong’s market is closed for a public holiday.
US stock futures pointed to a marginally stronger open. European markets are closed for Easter Monday.
Iran rejects temporary ceasefire, insists on permanent end to war
Iran has rejected a temporary ceasefire in the US-Israeli war, saying it would allow adversaries to pause and prepare for the continuation of the conflict.
“We are calling for an end to the war and for preventing its recurrence,” foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei was cited as saying by Iran’s state news agency IRNA.
Reuters reported Monday that Iran and the US have received a proposal to end hostilities that could come into effect on Monday. Axios also reported that the US, Iran, and regional mediators were discussing a potential 45-day ceasefire as part of a two-phase deal that would lead to a permanent end to the war.
Baghaei did not specifically address the reports.
He added that Iran has formulated a response to the United States’ demands to end the war and will announce it “when necessary,” referring to the 15-point list of demands that Washington conveyed to Tehran through Pakistan.
The proposal was “extremely excessive and unusual and illogical,” adding that Iran has a “very bitter experience of negotiating with the US,” he said.
Any diplomatic talks are “absolutely incompatible with ultimatums, crimes, and threats to commit war crimes,” he added, referring to US President Donald Trump’s threat to bomb key Iranian infrastructure if Tehran does not open the Strait of Hormuz.
Separately, Iranian Armed Forces spokesman Ebrahim Zolfaghari said on Monday that if attacks on civilian targets are repeated, Iran’s retaliation will be on a much wider scale and losses “several times greater,” the semi-official news agency Tasnim reported.
Deaths reported in Iran, Lebanon and Israel, as Trump threatens Tehran on Strait of Hormuz
US President Donald Trump ordered Iran in a profanity-laced Truth Social post to “open the Fuckin’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell.”
Trump then appeared to set a new deadline for Iran to reopen the vital waterway, writing yesterday afternoon, “Tuesday, 8:00 P.M. Eastern Time!”
If you’re just joining us, here’s what you need to know about the latest developments:
- Iranian embassies around the world posted critical, tongue-in-cheek responses to Trump’s warning, while Iran’s parliament speaker accused Trump of pushing the US toward “a living HELL” and warned the region could “burn.”
- Six children under 10 were among those killed in overnight Israeli-US strikes on Iran, according to the semi-official Mehr news.
- At least ten people were killed and dozens were wounded in overnight attacks on Lebanon, according to state media reports.
- In the Israeli city of Haifa, four bodies have been recovered following an Iranian missile attack on a residential building yesterday, Israel’s emergency service said.
- Another senior security official in Iran has been killed, according to both Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and Israeli Defense minister Israel Katz.
- Gulf countries including the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia continued fending off attacks from Iran early today, after weeks of constant bombardment.
- Oil prices traded relatively flat and remained elevated early today, as Trump’s new threats to strike Iran unsettled investors, sending prices soaring yesterday.
- Trump is also set to talk to reporters during a White House briefing at 1 p.m. ET today, following the rescue of a US airman whose jet was downed over Iran.
CNN’s Julia Benbrook, Mitchell McCluskey, Mohammed Tawfeeq, Lex Harvey, Kit Maher, Ally Barnard, Zulfaqar Samra, Isaac Yee, Charbel Mallo, Eugenia Yosef, Manveena Suri, Tim Lister, Jessie Yeung and John Liu contributed to this reporting.
Two more bodies found after Iranian strike on Haifa, Israel, bringing total killed to four
The bodies of four people who were killed in an Iranian strike on a residential building in the Israeli city of Haifa yesterday have now been recovered, Israel’s emergency service Magen David Adom said in a statement.
The victims were a man and a woman in their eighties, their son and his companion, according to Haifa Municipality’s spokesperson.
Dozens of rescue workers were at the site throughout the night searching for the four people, who the Israeli military believe did not have time to reach a protected area as the missile approached.
“The hit on Haifa was the result of a ballistic missile weighing several hundred kilograms,” an Israeli military spokesperson told CNN today, adding that interceptors launched at the missile had all missed.
CNN’s Lex Harvey and Manveena Suri contributed to this reporting.
Eight Iranian hospitals evacuated after US-Israeli strikes, health ministry says
Iran’s health ministry said today that eight hospitals have been evacuated following US-Israeli strikes in the country, according to Iranian state media.
The ministry said 54 emergency centers, 46 treatment units and 216 health centers have so far been damaged in the conflict, state-run Tasnim news agency reported. In addition, dozens of ambulances have sustained damage while more than 20 healthcare workers have been killed, Tasnim creported the ministry as saying.
CNN has approached US Central Command and the Israeli military for comment on the ministry’s claims.
Meanwhile, Jagan Chapagain, secretary-general of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, said he was “deeply concerned” by reports that an Iranian Red Crescent ambulance was hit while responding to an emergency yesterday. No one was injured in the attack, but the vehicle was destroyed, he said.
Iran, Israel and Lebanon hit in overnight strikes
These are the latest images we’re seeing as strikes continued across the region overnight.
At least ten people were killed and dozens wounded in overnight attacks on Lebanon, according to state media reports.
Six children were among those killed in overnight Israeli-US strikes on Iran, state media reported. Two people were killed and two are missing after an Iranian strike on a residential building in Haifa, Israel.
