Israel struck a key petrochemical plant at Iran’s massive South Pars natural gas field and killed two paramilitary Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) commanders on Monday, after Tehran said no to the latest 45-day ceasefire proposal — and US President Donald Trump's ultimatum looms within hours.
The gas field attack aimed at eliminating a major source of revenue for Iran, Israel said. The field is critical to electricity production, but the strike appeared to be separate from Trump’s threats to target power plants and bridges if Tehran does not reopen the Strait of Hormuz to all shipping traffic by Monday night Washington time.
The White House did not immediately comment, although Trump was set to speak to journalists Monday afternoon in his first public appearance since Wednesday. He had been relatively quiet during the rescue of downed US aviators in Iran.
After Israel’s attack on South Pars in March, Trump said Israel would not attack it again but warned that if Iran continued striking Qatar’s energy infrastructure, the US would “massively blow up" the field.
Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz called the plant Iran's largest petrochemical facility. The gas field shared with Qatar is the world’s largest. Iranian state-run media blamed both the US and Israel for the attack.
Tehran and Trump trade threats
Earlier on Monday, Iran threatened "much more devastating" retaliation if the US decided to strike civilian targets, Tehran-run state media reported, in an apparent reply to Trump's threats to Iran's power plants and bridges if the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened by Tuesday.
"If attacks on civilian targets are repeated, the next stages of our offensive and retaliatory operations will be much more devastating and widespread," the spokesperson of the Iranian top military command unit said.
Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social on Sunday that "Tuesday will be power plant day, and bridge day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it."
"Open the f****** strait, you crazy bastards, or you'll be living in hell - just watch," he continued, adding: "Praise be to Allah."
Trump had already threatened Iran with "hell" in a separate social media post on Saturday unless it opened the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial waterway for global energy shipments that has been choked off by Tehran's forces.
“Remember when I gave Iran 10 days to make a deal or open up the Hormuz Strait. Time is running out — 48 hours before all hell will reign down on them.”
Renewed ceasefire push
Meanwhile, Washington and Tehran have reportedly received draft proposals calling for a 45-day ceasefire and the reopening of the crucial Strait of Hormuz.
The proposal comes from Egyptian, Pakistani and Turkish mediators who are exploring ways to bridge the gap and end the fighting.
A source familiar with the proposal told the AP that mediators are hoping the 45-day window will provide enough time for extensive talks between Washington and Tehran to reach a permanent ceasefire.
The two countries have not yet responded to the proposal which was sent to Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff.
It remains unclear whether the draft has what it takes to halt the fighting, which has spiralled in the wider region as Iran continues to target countries hosting US bases, including the Gulf states and Iraq.
Tehran has previously indicated that it will not pause its attacks until the US agrees to its core demands – financial reparations and guarantees it won’t be attacked again.
Tehran has shown no signs of backing down from its stranglehold on shipping through the strait, which was shuttered after the Iran war started on 28 February.
The chokepoint strait has remained effectively closed for over six weeks, causing oil prices to surge dramatically worldwide. Brent crude, the international benchmark, traded at around $109 a barrel on Monday morning, a roughly 65% increase from pre-war levels.
Iran insists that the strait is open but not to any vessels belonging to the US, Israel or countries perceived by Tehran as helping them in their war efforts. Iran has allowed some vessels to pass, including crude exports to China and others who have paid for passage.
Strikes across the region continue
Meanwhile, US-Israeli attacks on targets in Iran have continued, with Iranian officials reporting intense strikes across multiple cities, including the capital, overnight into Monday.
The strikes reportedly killed 25 people in what Tehran says were attacks targeting civilian positions, including the Azadi Square in Tehran, as well as the grounds of the Sharif University of Technology.
The casualty figures inside Iran cannot be independently verified.
The attacks prompted a new wave of Iranian strikes targeting Israel and Tehran’s Gulf neighbours. Kuwait and the UAE announced early Monday that their air defences were activated in response to incoming threats.
In Haifa, authorities say four people were found dead in the rubble of a building destroyed by Iranian missiles.
