Extract from ABC News
Donald Trump speaks on the balcony of the White House, with his wife and the Easter bunny at his side. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Hello, ABC Middle East correspondent Matthew Doran writing to you from Jerusalem.
It's coming to the end of day 38 of the war and, after the faintest glimmer of hope, there's still no deal to end the fighting.
Here's what you need to know today:
- Iranian state media says the regime has rejected the latest proposal to end the war with the United States and Israel. The key concern is that it does not propose a total end to the war, but rather an immediate pause in hostilities while further talks are held on the broader and more challenging issues at hand.
- Donald Trump said the counteroffer from Iran was a significant step, but it still wasn't enough. Not thrilled that a deal hadn't been agreed to, despite saying over and over again Iran was desperate for a path out of this war, he reiterated his threat he'd bomb power plants and bridges if the Strait of Hormuz wasn't reopened by 8pm on Tuesday, US east coast time.
- Israel attacked Iran's largest petrochemical plant, saying it would deliver a major blow to the country's production capabilities and its economy. In response, Iran continued its attacks on Israel with a number of missile barrages launched east.
- In the northern Israeli port city of Haifa, it was confirmed four members of the same family were killed on Sunday when part of an Iranian missile hit their home. They're now among the 23 killed in the war, and almost 2,000 injured across Israel, according to health authorities. More than 2,000 have been killed in Iran.
- The situation at the other front in this war, Lebanon — which remains even if a deal is struck between the US, Israel and Iran — has continued to deteriorate, with at least 10 killed in 24 hours. An anti-Hezbollah political party said one of its MPs was killed, along with his wife, when an Israeli strike hit a Christian community.
Here's what all that means
There's something totally unsurprising, perhaps even fitting, in seeing Donald Trump delivering remarks about a major regional war that has killed thousands, is costing billions of dollars every day, has shaken global economies and crippled major transport routes moments after standing next to a large Easter Bunny on the balcony of the White House.
With a brass band playing what sounded like Stevie Wonder's 1976 hit I Wish, the US president chastised Iran for rejecting the latest proposal to end the war.
"They've made a proposal and it's a significant proposal, it's a significant step. It's not good enough, but it's a very significant step," he said.
"They don't want to cry, as the expression goes, 'Uncle', but they will."
Earlier in the day, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei effectively gave the answer.
He had held a press conference, where he set out the parameters for any acceptance by Tehran.
And chief among them was that the war needed to be brought to a conclusion — a temporary, albeit immediate pause in hostilities was not enough.
He also added that Iran would not cower in the face of threats from Trump to obliterate the nation's power plants and bridge networks — the deadline for those attacks, if the Strait of Hormuz isn't reopened, is 8pm on Tuesday, US east coast time.
"Negotiation in no way involves an ultimatum, a crime, or a threat to commit war crimes," he said.
It seems Trump's demand on Sunday for Iran to "open the f****** Strait" or face the wrath of the US military didn't fly.
The deal many are currently talking about is often couched in terms of it being a truce between the US and Iran.
But there is another player here in Israel — the junior partner in terms of firepower, but perhaps the ringleader in terms of decision-making on some elements of how this war has played out.
And any deal needs to consider how it will act too.
Not wanting to be forgotten in this process, Prime Minister Benjamin Netayahu's office released a video of him talking up Israel's role in all this, and saying he was Trump's right-hand man.
"He said, 'You guys are great. You are great,'" Mr Netanyahu said.
And this is the impact on Australia
- "Stagflation" is happening: Two highly respected economists have warned about stagflation — and both blame the oil crisis. So, what lessons could the treasurer learn from the past?
And here's how to stay up to date:
You can keep track of the latest updates from Iran and around the world throughout the day via our live blog.
Thanks for joining me. I'll see you at the same time tomorrow.
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