President Trump promised on Monday a "complete demolition" of every bridge and power plant in Iran if a deal is not reached by Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
With President Trump's deadline looming on Tuesday, Iranian officials rejected U.S. demands and presented a plan of their own in response, and Iran's president said that he was willing to die along with millions of Iranians to defend his country.
Iran's 10-point proposal included a guarantee that Iran would not be attacked again, an end to Israeli strikes against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon and removal of sanctions in exchange for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, with Iran imposing a $2 million fee for every ship moving through the key waterway, according to the New York Times.
With the clock ticking, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian wrote on social media: "More than 14 million brave Iranians have so far declared their readiness to sacrifice their lives to defend Iran. I too have been, am, and will be sacrificing my life for Iran."
Pezeshkian's message appeared to be in response to a call by Iran's junior minister for youth late Monday issued to Iranians, including "young people, cultural and artistic figures, athletes" to form human chains next to the power plants across Iran.
"We will stand hand in hand next to power plants across the country, with every belief and taste, to say: attacking public infrastructure is a war crime," Iran's Deputy Minister of Sports and Youth Alireza Rahimi wrote on social media.
Here are more updates on the war in Iran today:
Iranian envoy on negotiations | Strikes in the region
Iran’s envoy says efforts to stop the war ‘approaching a critical’ period
Iran's ambassador in Islamabad, Reza Amiri Mughadam, said on Tuesday that Pakistan's efforts to stop the war are "approaching a critical, sensitive" period.
But Mughadam sounded less enthusiastic in an interview with state-run media, where he set out the country's position: "A complete cessation of the war is Tehran's maximum demand in the process of peace diplomacy," adding, "with a guarantee of non-repetition of aggression."
Mughadam also warned Gulf countries, which he did not name, to "pay attention to their conditions and relations with Iran." He warned: "Know that sooner or later America will leave this region by accepting defeat and you will stay."
Meanwhile, the United Nations Security Council is expected to table a resolution demanding the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday at 11 am ET. The resolution is sponsored by Bahrain.
Israel attacks Iran’s petrochemical facilities, Iran hits energy facility in Saudi Arabia
Israel's military said it attacked one of the "few remaining" petrochemical facilities producing ballistic missile and explosive material in Shiraz. It also said its forces struck a ballistic missile site in northwestern Iran and infrastructure across Iran.
Israel also issued a warning to Iranians on Tuesday, over X, to avoid traveling by train and stay away from railway tracks.
Iran retaliated by firing missiles in central Israel, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, forcing the closure of the key King Fahd bridge between the two Gulf countries. Saudi Arabia's ministry of defense said it was assessing damage on its energy facility caused by falling debris from dozens of ballistic missiles and drones intercepted by its air defense systems on Tuesday.
Air defense systems in the United Arab Emirates also engaged with incoming missiles and drones on Tuesday, authorities said.
Daniel Estrin in Tel Aviv, Diaa Hadid in Mumbai and Tina Kraja in Washington, DC contributed to this report.
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