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 US and Israel end their strikes, provide a guarantee they will not resume and offer compensation for damages.
Any future settlement must leave Iran in control of the strait, imposing fees on ships that use it, the source said on condition of anonymity.
As the clock ticked down on Trump’s deadline to unleash “hell”, global markets were largely frozen, hesitant to bet on whether Trump would follow through on his threats or call them off as he has in the past.
Trump has given Iran until 8 pm in Washington (midnight GMT and 3.30 am in Tehran) to end its blockade of Gulf oil, saying he will otherwise destroy every bridge and power plant in Iran within four hours.
Iran has rejected his demands and threatened to retaliate against infrastructure belonging to US allies in the Gulf, whose desert cities would be uninhabitable without power or water.
In the latest attacks overnight, a synagogue in Tehran was destroyed by what Iran described as Israeli air strikes. Footage in Iranian media showed Hebrew-language texts scattered in the debris of the Rafi-nia synagogue.
“The Zionist regime did not spare the community during Jewish holidays and attacked one of our ancient and holy synagogues,” Homayoun Sameh, who represents the Jewish community in Iran’s parliament, was quoted as saying in state media. “The synagogue building was completely destroyed and our Torah scrolls were left under the rubble.”
Israel’s military had no immediate comment. Iran’s ancient Jewish community, which numbers in the thousands, is one of the largest in the Middle East outside Israel.
Without waiting for Trump’s deadline to expire, Israel threatened Iranian civil infrastructure on Tuesday, warning Iranians in a Persian-language social media post to stay away from railways: “Your presence on trains and near railway lines endangers your life.”
‘I HOPE IT IS ANOTHER BLUFF’
Inside Iran, residents were still hopeful the threatened escalation could be averted.
“I hope it is another bluff by Trump,” Shima, 37, from the central city of Isfahan, told Reuters by phone. Like many Iranians, she said she wanted the hardline clerical government removed, “but infrastructure being destroyed and people being unable to build the future of the country is another matter”.
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.
