Top updates: Iran says it won’t reopen Hormuz for a ‘temporary ceasefire’

Iran will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for a “temporary ceasefire”, an unidentified senior Iranian official told Reuters on Monday. The official also said that Tehran views Washington as lacking readiness for a permanent ceasefire.

The ‌official confirmed Iran had received Pakistan’s ⁠proposal for an immediate ‌ceasefire and was reviewing it, adding that Tehran ‌does not accept being pressured to ⁠accept deadlines and make ⁠a decision, the news agency reported.

The United States has not yet responded to Pakistan’s plan.

Here are more top updates from the conflict in West Asia:

• At a press conference in Tehran, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said Iran would defend itself with “all its might” when necessary, Al Jazeera reported. He accused the United States and Israel of having “no red lines” and disregarding international law.

• US President Donald Trump on Sunday appeared to extend by 24 hours his deadline for Iran to arrive at a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face attacks on its critical infrastructure. “Tuesday, 8.00 pm Eastern Time!” he said on social media, without providing context. It would be 5.30 am on Wednesday in India.
• The US president’s 10-day deadline was to expire on Monday. He has been threatening to bomb the country’s energy, water and oil infrastructure if no agreement was finalised to reopen the...

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