In a dramatic escalation of tensions, Israel and the United States launched a series of assaults on Iran, resulting in over 25 fatalities. This provoked a swift retaliation from Iran, which fired missiles targeting Israel and its neighboring Gulf Arab countries.

Amid this escalating conflict, the clock is ticking on a critical deadline set by US President Donald Trump, who has demanded that Tehran reopen the Strait of Hormuz. This strategic waterway is pivotal for global oil shipments, and its closure has already caused a spike in energy prices worldwide. Meanwhile, mediators are actively circulating a new proposal aimed at establishing a ceasefire.

The Iranian capital, Tehran, faced intense bombardment with explosions echoing through the city and low-flying jets disrupting the skies for hours. One airstrike notably hit the grounds of Sharif University of Technology, sending thick plumes of black smoke into the air near Azadi Square.

Tragically, the head of intelligence for Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, Major General Majid Khademi, was among those killed in the Tehran attacks, as confirmed by both Iranian state media and Israel’s defense minister.

In retaliation, Iranian missiles struck the northern Israeli city of Haifa. The aftermath was devastating, with four individuals found dead beneath the wreckage of a residential building.

Meanwhile, Gulf nations such as Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia have activated their air defense systems to fend off Iran’s incoming missiles and drones. This ongoing aggression from Tehran not only threatens regional stability but also underscores their strategic grip on the Strait of Hormuz, through which a significant portion of the world’s oil supply flows during peacetime.

Under pressure at home as consumers are growing increasingly concerned, Trump gave Tehran a deadline that expires Monday night (Tuesday morning AEST), saying if no deal was reached to reopen the strait, the US would hit Iran’s power plants and other infrastructure targets and set the country “back to the stone ages.”

In an effort to stop the fighting, Egyptian, Pakistani and Turkish mediators have sent Iran and the US a proposal calling for a 45-day ceasefire and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to give time to try and find a way to end the war, two Middle East officials have told The Associated Press.

Iran and the US have not responded to the proposal, sent late on Sunday night Monday AEST) to both Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, the officials said. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private negotiations.

Trump’s deadline to open Hormuz strait looms but no signs of Tehran backing off

European Council President António Costa called for diplomacy to be given a chance, writing on X that “any targeting of civilian infrastructure, namely energy facilities, is illegal and unacceptable”.

“Escalation will not achieve a ceasefire and peace,” he said.

“Only negotiations will, namely the ongoing efforts led by regional partners.”

Trump has at times demanded that Iran reopen the strait or face a significant escalation in bombing from the US while at other times said it was not up to Washington to force the waterway open or even that the war could end without it being reopened.

He has also given multiple deadlines to Iran on the issue, and after the threat he posted on Sunday he later posted a single line saying “Tuesday, 8pm Eastern Time!” It was not clear whether that meant he had extended the deadline another day.

Tehran has shown no signs of backing down from its stranglehold on shipping through the strait, which was fully open before Israel and the US attacked Iran on February 28 to start the war.

Following Trump’s expletive-laced posts on Easter Sunday, Iran’s parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf called the threats of targeting Iran’s infrastructure “reckless.”

“You won’t gain anything through war crimes,” Qalibaf wrote on X.

“The only real solution is respecting the rights of the Iranian people and ending this dangerous game.”

Brent crude oil, the international standard, rose to $US109 ($157) in early Monday spot trading, some 50 per cent higher than it was when the war started.

Iran has let some vessels through the strait since the war began, but none belonging to the US, Israel or countries perceived as helping them. Some have paid Iran for passage and the overall flow of traffic is down more than 90 per cent over the same period last year.

Airstrikes kill more than 25 across Iran

One of Monday’s morning airstrikes targeted Tehran’s Sharif University of Technology, where Iranian media reported damage to the buildings as well as a natural gas distribution site next to the campus.

It wasn’t immediately clear what had been targeted on the grounds of the university, which is empty of students as the war has forced all schools into the country into online classes.

However, multiple countries over the years have sanctioned the university for its work with the military, particularly on Iran’s ballistic missile program, which is controlled by the country’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard.

Following the confirmation that the Guard’s intelligence chief had been killed in one strike, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz vowed to keep targeting top-ranking Iranian officials.

“Iran’s leaders live with a sense of being targeted,” Katz said.

“We will continue to hunt them down one by one.”

Katz added that Israel had “severely damaged” Iran’s steel and petrochemical industries as well.

“We will continue to crush the Iranian national infrastructure and lead to the erosion and collapse of the terrorist regime, and its capabilities to promote terror and fire at the state of Israel,” he said.

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