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The deadline set by Donald Trump for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz expires this Tuesday, April 7 at 8:00 PM (Washington time), and tensions have continued to escalate throughout this Monday. Here are seven key points to understand what is at stake.
1. The ultimatum expires tonight
Trump set Tuesday, April 7 as the deadline for Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. In a social media message, he threatened: "Tuesday will be Electric Plants Day and Bridges Day, all in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!" This is the fourth ultimatum issued since March 21.
2. Iran rejects negotiating under pressure
The spokesperson for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ismail Bagaei, was emphatic this Monday: Negotiation is not at all compatible with ultimatums, crimes, or threats of committing war crimes." Tehran insists that it will not yield to military pressure.
3. The 15-point plan, rejected
The 15-point plan sent by Washington through mediators was described by Iran as "extremely ambitious and illogical" and "unacceptable." Bagaei announced that Tehran has crafted its own counterproposal based on its red lines, the details of which will be revealed "in due course."
4. The Iranian counterproposal: 5 conditions
Iran demands an end to targeted killings, guarantees against the recurrence of war, compensation for the damages caused, a complete halt to hostilities, and recognition of its authority over the Strait of Hormuz. Bagaei also dismissed any temporary ceasefire, which he referred to as "a pause to regroup and rearm in order to continue the crime."
5. The debate over a 45-day ceasefire
Despite Iran's public stance, four sources cited by Axios confirm that the terms of a 45-day ceasefire in two phases are being negotiated. Trump told Israeli channel Channel 12 that he is in deep negotiations with Iran and confident in a deal, but warned, "If they don't reach an agreement, I will blow everything up there." The mediating foreign ministers spoke with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on Sunday without any results.
6. The mediators and the toll law
Pakistan, Egypt, and Turkey are acting as intermediaries, while Witkoff and Kushner maintain direct contact via text messages with the Iranian chancellor Abbas Araghchi. For the mediators, the complete reopening of the strait is an essential condition. However, the Iranian Parliament approved, on March 31, a law to impose tolls on ships crossing the strait, explicitly prohibiting vessels from the U.S. and Israel, a measure that experts in maritime law consider a violation of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
7. The balance of Operation Epic Fury
Launched on February 28, 2026 by the U.S. and Israel, the operation has struck more than 5,000 targets, destroyed 90% of Iran's missile capability, and eliminated 49 high-ranking officials. This Monday, Israel targeted the largest petrochemical plant in Iran located in Asaluyeh —accounting for 50% of the national production— and eliminated the head of intelligence of the Revolutionary Guard, Brigadier General Majid Khademi. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz stated that the attack represents "a severe economic blow of tens of billions of dollars to the Iranian regime."
What's coming
The sources consulted by Axios rate the chances of an agreement as slim. If the deadline expires without an agreement tonight, Trump has promised massive attacks against Iranian civil infrastructure. The BBC correspondent Lyse Doucet describes a "frantic last-minute diplomacy that is intensifying."
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