Author：Currency Explorer
According to Reuters,There is no indication that Iran has agreed to the demands made by US President Trump.— Open the Strait of Hormuz by the end of Tuesday or face a massive attack on its civilian infrastructure, which would be the largest escalation of the war to date.
Faced with Iran's tough stance, Trump was not to be outdone. He warned that...The United States remains committed to Tuesday as the deadline for eliminating Iran..
In his latest remarks on Iran, Trump said,The entire civilization will perish tonight, never to be restored.I don't want that to happen, but it's very likely it will. However, now that we have achieved a complete and thorough change of regime, with a new, more sensible and mature government in power, perhaps something truly transformative will occur—who knows? Tonight we will find out; this is an extremely important moment in the long and complex history of the world.
A senior Iranian source told Reuters,Tehran rejected the proposed temporary ceasefire conveyed by the mediators. Negotiations for a lasting peace can only begin after the United States and Israel cease their attacks, guarantee no further assaults, and compensate for losses.
An anonymous source said,Any future solution would require Iran to control the straits and charge passing ships a fee.
With Trump's deadline fast approaching, global markets have essentially frozen, with investors hesitant and unable to determine whether Trump will deliver on his threats or cancel his actions as he has done in the past.
Trump set a deadline of 8 p.m. Washington time on Tuesday (8 a.m. Wednesday Beijing time) for Iran to end its blockade of oil shipments from the Gulf, or he would destroy all of Iran's bridges and power plants within four hours.
However, Iran rejected his demands and threatened retaliation against the infrastructure of U.S. Gulf allies—desert cities that would become uninhabitable without power and water.
In the latest nighttime attack,A synagogue in Tehran was destroyed.Iran claims the attack was caused by an Israeli airstrike. Footage broadcast by Iranian media showed Hebrew texts scattered among the ruins of the Rafinia synagogue.
“During Jewish holidays, the Zionist regime did not spare us either, attacking one of our ancient and sacred synagogues,” Homayoun Sameh, a representative of the Jewish community in the Iranian parliament, told state media. “The synagogue building was completely destroyed, and the Torah scrolls were buried under the rubble.”
The Israeli military did not immediately comment. Iran's ancient Jewish community numbers in the thousands and is one of the largest Jewish communities in the Middle East outside of Israel.
Israel did not wait for Trump's deadline and on Tuesday threatened Iran's civilian infrastructure, warning Iranians on Persian-language social media: "You will endanger your lives on trains and near railway lines."
"I hope this is just another bluff."
The Iranian people still hope to avoid an escalation of the threat.
“I hope this is just another bluff by Trump,” Shima, 37, told Reuters by phone from the central city of Isfahan. “The destruction of infrastructure and the inability of people to build the country’s future is another matter,” she said.
In recent weeks, Trump has abruptly withdrawn similar threats, calling negotiations with unnamed Iranian officials "productive," but Tehran denies that any substantive negotiations have taken place.
The two countries have exchanged proposals to date, with Pakistan acting as the main mediator, butThere are currently no signs of compromise.Both sides claimed victory in the war and demanded concessions from the other.
Iran’s ambassador to Pakistan said on Tuesday that Islamabad’s “positive and productive efforts” to mediate an end to the war have “entered a critical and sensitive phase,” but did not provide further details.
According to sources, the Pakistan-mediated proposal calls for a temporary ceasefire, lifting Iran's de facto blockade of the Straits, and postponing a broader peace agreement to subsequent negotiations.
However, according to a report by the Iranian news agency on Monday,Iran's 10-point response demanded a permanent end to the war, the lifting of sanctions, and a commitment to rebuild Iranian facilities damaged by US and Israeli attacks.
The plan also includesNew mechanism for managing passage through the Strait of HormuzThe strait was previously an open international waterway, through which 20% of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas were transported. Since the US-Israeli attacks on Iran on February 28, Iran has effectively closed the strait to almost all ships, allowing only its own vessels to pass.
On Sunday, Trump issued a new ultimatum on social media: "Open this damn strait, you lunatics or you'll live in hell—just you wait!" Iranian officials called the rhetoric desperate and even insane.
Trump's countdown
At a press conference on Monday, Trump went even further: "The whole country could be destroyed overnight, which could be tomorrow night." He said, "Every bridge in Iran will be destroyed...every power plant will be paralyzed, burned, exploded, and never be usable again."
This leaves investors oscillating between two bets: a swift resolution or an escalation of the conflict—potentially leading to a longer-lasting, unprecedented energy supply disruption and severely damaging the global economy.
“We’re back to the countdown set by Trump, where it’s impossible to predict with certainty what will happen,” said Kyle Rodda, senior market analyst at Capital Economics. “More daring traders might bet one way or the other. Others will seek to hedge their risks or exit the market altogether. But market participants are largely powerless to do anything but wait and see.”
Iran's ambassador to the United Nations stated that Trump's threats "directly incite terrorism and provide clear evidence of intent to commit war crimes under international law." Iran's Supreme Military Command called Trump "delusional."
