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TRANSCRIPT:
As the war in the Middle East drags on, the United States has sent a plan to end hostilities to Iran through mediator Pakistan.
Along with the proposal, US President Donald Trump has threatened to ramp up pressure on Iran if a deal wasn't made to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
"They don't wanna cry as the expression goes, Uncle, but they will. And if they don't, then they'll have no bridges, they'll have no power plants, they'll have no anything. I won't go further because there are other things that are worse than those two. And we might have, well, the thing, if I had my choice, what would I like to do? Take the oil. Because it's there for the taking, there's not a thing they can do about it."
Iran's state-run IRNA news agency's says Tehran has rejected the proposed ceasefire in its 10-point response.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei says the US has lost its diplomatic credibility by attacking Iran twice during negotiations and for committing war crimes.
He says their actions don't match the words - with Washington saying one thing and doing another, while Iran has clearly expressed its stance and demands.
"Iran should not hesitate in defending its country because of any so-called 'deadline'. The reason we do not accept a ceasefire is based on past experience. A ceasefire means a brief respite, allowing the other side to strengthen its forces and commit more crimes afterward. No reasonable person would do that. Our demand is to end this imposed war and ensure that the cycle of ceasefire and war does not repeat."
So what exactly does the 10-point-plan entail?
Under the proposal, a ceasefire would take
effect immediately, opening the Strait of Hormuz, with 15–20 days to finalise a broader settlement.
The head of Iran's diplomatic mission in Cairo, Mojtaba Ferdousi Pour says Iran will only accept an end of the war with guarantees that it won't be attacked again.
Esmail Baghaei has stressed that Iran's efforts in the meantime are focused on defending the nation.
He says Iran's response also includes proposals on reconstruction and the lifting of sanctions.
"Our goal is to protect national interests and security, as well as the legitimate demands of the Iranian people. Iran has long known its demands and red lines, and now our position is very clear."
The US President has reiterated his threat - this time from civilian targets to the whole Islamic Republic if Iran does not accept the terms to reopen the strait.
He says the US will 'decimate' Iran's civilian infrastructure if the 'extended' deadline passes without deal.
Mr Trump says the entire country can be taken out in one night.
"We're giving them, we're giving them till tomorrow, 8:00 Eastern time. And after that, they're going to have no bridges. They're going to have no power plants."
But Iran has hit back saying they will not stop their military campaign.
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps spokesperson Ebrahim Zolfaqari says the threats are baseless, and will not change the course of the conflict.
"The rude rhetoric, arrogance and baseless threats of the delusional US president, arising from the deadlock he faces and aimed at justifying the repeated defeats of the US military, will have no effect on the continuation of offensive and crushing operations by the fighters of Islam against US and Israeli enemies, and will not repair the humiliation of the United States in West Asia."
Meanwhile, the United Nations has condemned the threats and ongoing war in the Middle East.
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric says attacks on civilian infrastructure are not permitted.
"They (attacks on Iranian civilian infrastructure) would constitute violations of international law. And I think whether something is a crime or not a crime would have to be decided by a court. But any attack on civilian infrastructure is a violation of international law, and a very clear one."
The Albanese government has refused to publicly criticise Donald Trump despite the US president taking another swipe at Australia for refusing to participate in the war against Iran.
The US President accused several allies of benefiting from US protection while failing to return the favour.
"It's not just NATO. You know who else didn't help us? South Korea didn't help us. You know who else didn't help us? Australia didn't help us. You know who else didn't help us? Japan. We've got 50,000 soldiers in Japan to protect them from North Korea. We have 45,000 soldiers in South Korea to protect us from Kim Jong Un, who I get along with very well."
But Communications Minister Michelle Rowland has told the ABC that Australia will not take part in offensive operations.
She says Australia has taken its position, but maintains its alliance with Washington.
"Australia has taken a position, which is that we are not going to be participating in any offensive way in this conflict ... but I will reiterate that the Australia-US alliance remains fundamental, and we call and continue to call for a de-escalation of this conflict. ... We want this conflict to end. It cannot end soon enough."
