Islamabad Accord Proposed as Iran Vows a New Order in the Gulf Ahead of Trump’s Deadline
Quick Reads
- Pakistan’s army chief spent the night in direct contact with US Vice President JD Vance and envoy Steve Witkoff to broker a ceasefire, Reuters reported, but Iran has not yet responded to the framework.
- The IRGC Navy declared Monday that the Strait of Hormuz will not return to its previous state and said it is finalising plans for a “new order” in the Persian Gulf.
- Israeli strikes on Monday killed the IRGC’s head of oil commerce, Mohammad Reza Ashrafi Kahi, and the head of Revolutionary Guard intelligence, Major General Majid Khademi, according to Iranian state media and Israel’s defence minister.
- At least 2,076 people have been killed in Iran since US-Israeli attacks began on 28 February, according to Iran’s Health Ministry as cited by NPR; 365 American service members have been wounded, the Pentagon said.
- The ceasefire proposal, calling for a 45-day pause and immediate reopening of the Strait, must be agreed in full by Tuesday evening or Trump has vowed to strike every Iranian power plant and bridge.
A ceasefire framework labelled the “Islamabad Accord” is the last diplomatic card on the table before Trump’s Tuesday 8 p.m. Eastern deadline expires. Reuters reported Monday that Pakistan assembled the framework overnight and exchanged it with both Iran and the United States, proposing an immediate halt to all hostilities, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and 15 to 20 days of follow-on talks to finalise a permanent settlement. The deal would be formalised as a memorandum of understanding transmitted electronically through Pakistan, which has become the sole formal communication channel between Washington and Tehran. Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, held talks “all night long” with US Vice President JD Vance and special envoy Steve Witkoff, and separately kept contact with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Reuters reported. Iran has not committed. “Iran has not responded yet,” a Pakistani source told Reuters directly.
“All elements need to be agreed today.” — source with knowledge of the Islamabad Accord proposals, as reported by Reuters, 6 April 2026
Even as negotiators worked through the night, Iran’s military signalled Monday that any future order in the Gulf would be on Tehran’s terms. The IRGC Navy declared that the Strait of Hormuz will not return to its pre-war state and that it is finalising plans for a “new order” in the Persian Gulf, according to Al Jazeera. That statement aligns with Iran’s formal position, delivered through intermediaries and confirmed to Reuters by a senior Iranian official: the Strait will only reopen once war damages are “fully compensated,” and Tehran will not accept any temporary ceasefire that leaves open the possibility of a renewed attack. Iranian officials have previously referenced the Gaza and Lebanon ceasefires as cautionary examples, making clear they do not want a deal on paper that the US and Israel can abandon whenever they choose.
Monday’s strikes brought some of the most high-profile casualties of the conflict. Al Jazeera, citing Iranian state media and Israel’s defence minister, reported that two IRGC figures were killed: Major General Majid Khademi, the head of Revolutionary Guard intelligence, and Mohammad Reza Ashrafi Kahi, identified as the IRGC’s commerce chief at its Oil Headquarters. Benzinga, citing Al Jazeera, reported that Ashrafi Kahi oversaw oil operations generating billions of dollars annually that funded the IRGC’s military operations and proxy groups. Explosions struck Tehran’s Sharif University of Technology, and the Associated Press reported thick black smoke rising near the city’s Azadi Square after one airstrike hit university grounds.
The humanitarian toll continues to climb. Iran’s Health Ministry, as cited by NPR, reported at least 2,076 people killed since the war began on 28 February. The most recent wave of overnight strikes killed at least 34 people across Iran, including at least six children under ten, Al Jazeera reported, citing Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency. In Israel, four people died after an Iranian missile struck a residential building in Haifa, and a girls’ high school in Tel Aviv was hit. Lebanon has also taken heavy casualties; at least ten people were killed in overnight Israeli strikes, according to Lebanese state media. CNN reported that 6,833 Israelis had been evacuated to hospitals as of 5 April, and the Pentagon confirmed 365 American service members have been wounded in US operations against Iran.
The economic pressure is intensifying on multiple fronts. Brent crude spot prices hit $141.36 a barrel last week, the highest since the 2008 financial crisis, as reported by S&P Global. Iran has continued striking energy infrastructure across Gulf states, hitting power and desalination facilities in Kuwait and Bahrain, and a petrochemical plant in the UAE’s Ruwais industrial zone over the weekend. South Korea announced Monday it would deploy special envoys to Saudi Arabia, Oman and Algeria to secure crude supplies, and send five Korean-flagged vessels to Saudi Arabia, according to Al Jazeera. OPEC members were convening Sunday to set output policy for May. Iraq’s state oil marketer SOMO, meanwhile, asked buyers to submit crude lifting schedules after Iran reportedly exempted Iraqi shipments from Hormuz transit restrictions.
Internationally, Iran’s Foreign Minister Araghchi spoke Monday with France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot to discuss the security and economic fallout of the war, according to Al Jazeera. Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who has been touring Gulf capitals, warned that a full energy cut-off in the Persian Gulf region would mean Italy “could end up not having all the energy that is needed,” as quoted by CNN. Oman confirmed its deputy foreign minister had met Iranian experts to explore transit proposals for the Strait. Egypt’s foreign minister has spoken separately with US envoy Steve Witkoff and his Iranian, Turkish and Pakistani counterparts, according to Reuters, as the diplomatic architecture around a potential deal continues to expand even as the battlefield grows more intense.
