Ultimatum Expires: Pakistan Pushes Ceasefire, Iran Reports Death of Intelligence Chief

On Monday, April 6 — the day Trump's ultimatum to Iran was originally set to expire, later extended to Tuesday evening — two key developments occurred. Overnight, Pakistan presented both sides with a framework for an immediate ceasefire. At the same time, Iran announced the death of Major General Majid Khadami, head of the Revolutionary Guards' (IRGC) intelligence organization, in an attack that Tehran blames on the US and Israel. Al-Monitor ↗

The Pakistani plan, informally referred to as the "Islamabad Accord," has a two-stage structure: an immediate halt to fighting and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, followed by negotiations on a comprehensive agreement. Sources differ on the length of the first phase — according to Al-Monitor, finalizing the broader agreement would take 15 to 20 days, while according to Axios, the initial ceasefire would last 45 days. According to Axios, the proposal also includes an Iranian commitment to limit its nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of sanctions and frozen assets. Axios ↗

Intense overnight diplomacy lies behind the framework. According to Al-Monitor sources, Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff, Field Marshal Asim Munir, was "in contact all night" with US Vice President J.D. Vance and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. Other regional foreign ministers also joined the initiative, including those of Egypt, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia, who issued a five-point call for an immediate ceasefire and the resumption of maritime traffic through the strait. According to sources, Pakistan is currently one of the few functioning communication channels between Washington and Tehran. Business Today ↗

Iran has not yet formally responded to the new proposal. A few days ago, Tehran rejected a previous attempt to broker negotiations in Islamabad — according to the Wall Street Journal, it called the American demands "unacceptable." Some analysts argued that Iran viewed the original proposal as an attempt to draw out Iranian officials under the guise of diplomacy. Nevertheless, Pakistan continued its mediation efforts. Al Jazeera ↗

The diplomatic effort is complicated by ongoing military escalation. On Monday, Iran's Revolutionary Guards confirmed the death of Major General Majid Khadami, head of the IRGC's intelligence organization. In a statement, the Guards described him as having been "martyred in a criminal terrorist attack by the American-Zionist enemy." According to analysts, Khadami was among the Guards' highest-ranking officials and played a key role in planning Iranian operations. His predecessor, Mohammad Kazemi, was killed in Israeli airstrikes during the Twelve-Day War in June 2025. Kurdistan24 ↗

On Monday, the Israeli military announced a new wave of strikes on Iranian targets in Tehran. According to Iranian media, residential areas were also hit. Iran responded with four waves of missile attacks toward Israel. In the United Arab Emirates, which has faced Iranian attacks since the start of the conflict, debris from intercepted missiles in previous days injured dozens of people, according to The National — in total, the UAE has recorded 217 injuries and 13 deaths during the five-week conflict, most of them foreign workers. The National ↗

Trump's ultimatum, whose deadline Washington has repeatedly pushed back — most recently to Tuesday evening (US time) — remains the nearest point that could influence further developments. Pakistan is offering a diplomatic framework, but the death of another key IRGC official suggests that military operations are continuing regardless of the negotiations. Xinhua ↗