Iran Rejects Ceasefire Before April 6 Deadline; Trump Threatens 'Power Plant Day and Bridge Day'; War Enters Acute Escalation Phase

Iran rejected the proposed 45-day ceasefire framework before Trump's hard deadline of Tuesday April 6 at 8:00 p.m. ET expired. Iranian officials refused to reopen the Strait of Hormuz as a precondition to any deal, maintaining that lifting sanctions must come first. Iran's Supreme National Security Council issued a statement calling Trump's ultimatum 'coercion at gunpoint' and asserting it would not 'reward aggression with unilateral concessions on sovereign territory.' In response, Trump posted to Truth Social: 'Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day' and threatened to target Iranian energy infrastructure, power plants, and bridges. A follow-up post stated Iran should 'Open the F***in' Strait' or face the 'hardest strikes you have seen yet.' US military officials confirmed strike packages against Iranian power generation facilities and bridge infrastructure were pre-positioned and ready for execution. The CNBC live blog confirmed the April 6 deadline expired without agreement. The acute escalation represented a new phase in Operation Epic Fury, which entered its 36th day. Oil prices, which had retreated below $100/barrel on Easter ceasefire optimism, surged back toward $110 as the deadline expired. Trump's approval rating remained below 40% in the latest RealClearPolling average. Markets — reopening on Easter Monday after the Easter break and pricing in both the strong March NFP (+178,000 jobs) and the Iran deadline crisis — faced conflicting signals.