Donald Trump has announced that he is engaged in intense negotiations with Iran in an effort to secure a two-week ceasefire, as a U.S. deadline that includes the threat of striking civilian infrastructure looms at 8 PM ET.

Trump has been informed about a ceasefire proposal facilitated by Pakistan, which is acting as an intermediary between the U.S. and Iran.

According to a senior Iranian official, Tehran is seriously considering Pakistan’s appeal for a temporary ceasefire, as reported by Reuters.

The President has issued a warning to target Iran’s civilian infrastructure, including energy facilities and bridges, unless the Strait of Hormuz is reopened.

In an interview with Fox News, Trump declined to provide details about the proposal, saying, “I can’t comment, because right now we’re in heated negotiations.”

Any extension would mark the fourth time Trump has shifted the goalposts since he first threatened to ‘obliterate’ Iran’s power plants on March 21. 

Trump posted on Truth Social this morning: ‘A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will.’ 

Republican lawmakers warned that striking civilian infrastructure would be a grave mistake and a war crime under the Geneva Convention. 

Trump during a press conference in the James Brady Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on April 6

Central Command’s Adm. Brad Cooper revealed hundreds of US drones (pictured) have been striking Iran

Streaks of light illuminate the sky during an interception attempt, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, as seen from Ashkelon, Israel, April 7

Streaks of light illuminate the sky during an interception attempt, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, as seen from Ashkelon, Israel, April 7

Senator Ron Johnson, a staunch Trump ally, said: ‘I think it would be a huge mistake. I mean, he loses me if he attacks civilian targets. Whatever we do has to be within the laws of warfare.’ 

‘We’re all hoping and praying – what we’re praying for is for the ayatollahs to capitulate,’ Johnson told the Wall Street Journal. 

Democratic lawmakers have gone further, calling for the 25th Amendment to be invoked, which would strip Trump of his powers if he is deemed to be suffering a medical crisis. 

Representative Ilhan Omar posted on X: ‘This is not ok. Invoke the 25th amendment. Impeach. Remove. This unhinged lunatic must be removed from office.’

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called on Trump and the Iranian regime to accept the ceasefire. 

‘To allow diplomacy to run its course, I earnestly request President Trump to extend the deadline for two weeks. Pakistan, in all sincerity, requests the Iranian brothers to open Strait of Hormuz for a corresponding period of two weeks as a goodwill gesture,’ he said.

‘We also urge all warring parties to observe a ceasefire everywhere for two weeks to allow diplomacy to achieve conclusive termination of war, in the interest of long-term peace and stability in the region.’

Even before the deadline expired, airstrikes had already hit two bridges and a train station. American forces also struck military infrastructure on Kharg Island for the second time, a key hub for Iranian oil production. 

Israel’s military warned of an increased risk of inbound attacks as Trump’s deadline approached. 

Blasts were heard in the Qatari capital Doha, while the UAE said its air defenses were responding to missile threats. 

Bahrain’s main port said it was suspending operations early Wednesday as the deadline is set to kick in.

Iran has warned that it will take ‘immediate and proportionate’ action if Trump follows through on his threats to attack the country. 

Tehran’s United Nations representative, Amir-Saeid Iravani, said Trump’s threats ‘constitute incitement to war crimes and potentially genocide.’

Facing the threat of devastating military strikes, terrified civilians told the Daily Mail they are frantically evacuating major cities and saying goodbye to loved ones.

The defiant government has meanwhile been placing human shields at infrastructure sites, with video showing civilians including women and children waving flags at power plants and on bridges. 

Iranians gathered at infrastructure sites including bridges and power plants as they taunted Trump’s message of annihilation 

Video showed women and children waving flags as chanting blared on a loudspeaker at a power plant

The US hit dozens of military targets on Kharg Island, a crucial Iranian oil export hub, overnight

US Navy fighter jets take off from USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) during Operation Epic Fury

Trump said he would target power plants and civilian bridges 

One Iranian says he and his family have already stocked up on water and supplies, fearing US strikes and the regime’s response. 

‘They are very stressed,’ he told the Daily Mail, ‘but at the same time, if this war ends now, it would literally be a living hell – because the government would retaliate.’

The call to gather at infrastructure sites came directly from an Iranian official, captured in an Associated Press video clip.

Speaking in Farsi, he urged ‘youth, athletes, artists, students and professors’ to assemble at power plants the following day at 2pm local time, arguing that their presence would expose any American strike as a war crime. 

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said: ‘Only the President knows where things stand and what he will do.’

‘The Iranian regime has until 8pm Eastern Time to meet the moment and make a deal with the United States,’ she added.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A U.S. soldier’s wife was freed from a federal immigration detention center on Tuesday after spending almost a week in custody following her arrest at a military base in Louisiana.

The detainment of 22-year-old Annie Ramos, originally from Honduras and married to a U.S. Army staff sergeant on the verge of deployment, sparked criticism from opponents of the Trump administration’s widespread deportation actions. Critics argued that such actions could lower troop morale during ongoing military engagements.

Ramos, who wed Staff Sgt. Matthew Blank in March, was apprehended by immigration officials while she was trying to register at his base to access military benefits and eventually secure a green card. Having resided in the U.S. since she was under two years old, she faced removal orders from 2005 after her family missed a court date, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Both Ramos and her husband have expressed her ongoing efforts to attain legal status, including applying for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program in 2020, although her application lingered unresolved due to legal disputes surrounding the program.

“My lifelong dream is to live with dignity in the nation I’ve known as home since infancy,” Ramos stated to The AP post-release. “I aspire to complete my education, further my studies, and contribute to my community, just as my husband honors our country through his service.”

DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Trump administration has scrapped policies of immigration enforcement leniency toward the family members of military personnel and veterans, even as the military has promoted the protection of U.S. soldiers’ family members from deportation as a recruiting incentive.

Ramos said she plans to continue studying biochemistry and focusing on enjoying married life with her husband.

“As Matthew continues preparing for his long career in the military, my focus now is on securing my status, continuing my studies, and building our life together,” Ramos said. “We want to create a home, a future, and a family. This experience has been incredibly difficult, but it has also reminded me of the power of faith, love, and community. I am hopeful for what comes next.”

In a chilling image that has emerged, a seven-year-old girl is captured sitting in a vehicle driven by a FedEx driver, who would later tragically take her life. The image surfaced as part of the legal proceedings against the driver, who kidnapped and murdered the child while on a delivery run with her Christmas present.

The child, Athena Strand, was seen in the background of the photograph with the driver, Tanner Horner, who is 34 years old. This photo was released by prosecutors following Horner’s guilty plea to capital murder, just before his trial was set to commence.

The somber black-and-white photo, taken on the day of the incident in November 2022, shows Athena appearing worried, while Horner is focused on driving. This image marks the beginning of a tragic series of events.

Horner had been delivering a Barbie doll to Athena’s home, intended as a key Christmas gift, when he abducted her. He confessed to investigators that he accidentally struck Athena with his truck, panicked, and subsequently forced her into his vehicle.

Overcome with fear about the potential consequences of confessing to Athena’s parents, Horner admitted to strangling her inside the truck. He abandoned her body approximately seven miles away from her residence, near a rural road, where it was discovered two days later.

But the new photograph has seemingly demolished the killer’s claim that he struck the girl accidentally and drove off with her body.

Horner, who previously denied killing Strand, pled guilty to capital murder of a child under 10 and aggravated kidnapping on Tuesday.

The case has now been sent to the punishment phase, meaning a jury must decide whether he will be sentenced to death or life in prison without parole.

The jury was shown this photo of Athena Strand inside Tanner Horner’s FedEx truck the day she was kidnapped

The seven-year-old was kidnapped and strangled on November 30, 2022, by Horner, who was delivering gifts to her family home in North Texas 

State District Judge George Gallagher asked Horner to stand as he was arraigned at the start of his trial on Tuesday.

The charges of capital murder of a child under 10 and aggravated kidnapping were read out and Horner was asked how he intended to plead.

‘Guilty, your honor,’ he said.

The trial will continue as normal but the guilt-innocence phase will be skipped. The jury instead will be tasked with determining the killer’s sentence. 

‘Now your sole duty will be to listen to all of the evidence that is going to be presented to you, because you will be using that evidence to determine the proper punishment to be assessed,’ Gallagher told the jurors.

Under Texas law, capital murder of a person under 10 years old qualifies Horner for the death penalty. 

During their opening remarks on Tuesday, prosecutors told the jury how Horner concocted a ‘web of lies’ throughout the investigation into Strand’s death.

Wise County District Attorney James Stainton warned that the jury would be shown video from the day of the killing, which allegedly depicts the moment she was strangled to death.

Although the camera was covered during the murder, Stainton said audio was still captured by the device. 

Horner has pled guilty to capital murder of a child under 10 and aggravated kidnapping

Horner was delivering this You Can Be Anything Barbie to Strand’s father and stepmother’s house in Paradise, Texas, when he says he accidentally hit the girl with his truck, ‘panicked,’ grabbed her and put her in his vehicle

‘Somebody covered up the camera because they don’t want you to see. Guess what? Audio is still running, and you’re going to hear it. You’re going to hear what a 250-pound man can do to a 67-pound child,’ he told the court.

‘And when I say it’s horrible, I mean it. I’ve been doing this [for] 25 years, and I promise you, buckle up.’ 

The prosecutor went on to argue that Horner repeatedly lied to investigators and that the ‘only truthful thing’ he told police was that he killed the little girl. 

‘The pattern and web of lies that he put together, it’s going to be hard for y’all to keep up with. It is lie upon lie, upon lie, upon lie,’ Stainton told the court.

‘What’s the story that was told in the beginning? That he hit her with the truck? That he somehow freaked out because he thought he was going to lose his job, or she was going to tell on him. He picked her up, still freaked out and killed her. 

‘That is an absolute lie. There is no truth to that in any form or fashion. None. Zero. ZIP. Not of nudge. No truth to that whatsoever.’

Stainton went on to claim that when police first asked Horner if Strand was alive, he told the officer: ‘She wasn’t alive when I put her in the truck.’

‘I’ll tell you right now, you’re going to see right up front here. She was very much alive and very much uninjured when he put her in the truck,’ the prosecutor added. 

Fearing what would happen if he told Strand’s parents, he said he strangled her inside the truck and dumped her body seven miles from her home, beside a country road. Her body was found two days later

Horner told the judge during his trial on Tuesday that he was pleading guilty

The defense, however, pointed to Horner’s physical and mental illnesses in their opening remarks.

They told the jury how he was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome at a young age and was exposed to lead during his developmental years.

‘You don’t have to be a scientist or doctor to know that lead has terrible effects on the brain,’ defense attorney Steven Goble told the court.

Goble admitted the evidence against his client is overwhelming and urged the jury to consider Horner’s voluntary guilty plea as they determine his punishment.

He argued life in prison without parole is ‘a terrible punishment’ enough and asked the jury to choose that instead of execution.

Horner was arrested on December 2, 2022, the same day Strand’s body was found. 

He allegedly confessed to police that he abducted and kidnapped the child during a delivery to her family’s home.

On February 17, 2023, a jury in Wise County formally charged Horner with kidnapping and murdering the young girl.

On top of the murder charge, Horner was charged with sexually assaulting a child almost a decade ago and faces three additional counts of sexually abusing a child in 2013 in Fort Worth. 

Strand’s mother Maitlyn Gandy, right, has called for the death penalty

Horner’s attorneys have previously argued that his autism diagnosis should bar him from the death penalty. 

In a motion to dispel the death penalty that was filed in January this year, his lawyers said: ‘Mr Horner’s autism spectrum disorder (ASD) reduces his moral blameworthiness, negates the retributive and deterrent purposes of capital punishment, and exposes him to the unacceptable risk that he will be wrongfully sentenced to death.

Strand’s mother, Maitlyn Gandy, has vehemently supported the death penalty for her daughter’s killer.

Gandy released a statement after Horner was indicted – expressing her love for her daughter, and support of capital punishment. 

She said at the time: ‘I would like to thank the Wise County grand jury for their role in this process. Hearing the facts and circumstances of my seven-year-old daughter’s kidnapping and murder was undoubtedly very difficult for them.’

‘I want them to know that their work is deeply appreciated,’ Gandy added.

‘I appreciate everyone’s continued support and for keeping Athena’s name and memory alive. Please take a moment to hug your children and loved ones. No one is promised another day.’

‘I support the death penalty. In any sentencing that may come,’ she told WFAA. ‘Every breath he takes is one my daughter doesn’t.

‘If I could sit down in front of him, I would tell him that he is nothing, but that Athena is absolutely everything – and I will make sure that everybody in this world knows that he is nothing and that she is everything.’

Strand’s father, Jacob, launched legal action against FedEx in 2022, claiming they did not carry out sufficient background checks before hiring Horner.

A spokesman for the company said after Strand’s death: ‘We share in the collective grief surrounding this heartbreaking tragedy and our thoughts remain with the family of Athena Strand. We continue to cooperate fully with the investigating authorities.’

The Daily Mail has approached FedEx for comment. 

The son of a woman allegedly murdered by the suspected Gilgo Beach serial killer has initiated legal action against Rex Heuermann and his family. This lawsuit comes as Heuermann prepares to enter a plea concerning the gruesome killings of seven women.

Benjamin Torres, the sole offspring of Valerie Mack, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit, represented by attorney John Ray. Court documents obtained by Fox News reveal the legal steps taken on Monday.

The lawsuit contends that Mack’s untimely death has left Torres without his mother’s care, guidance, protection, nurturing, companionship, and financial support.

In a courtroom in Riverhead, New York, accused serial killer Rex A. Heuermann was seen with his lawyer, Michael Brown, during a hearing on July 17, 2025. (James Carbone/Reuters)

Valerie Mack, a 24-year-old resident of Philadelphia, disappeared in 2000 when her son was only six years old. Later that year, hikers in Manorville, New York, discovered some of her remains inside a suspicious black bag.

According to the lawsuit, Mack was “tortured ferociously” before allegedly being killed and dismembered by Heuermann.  

An undated photograph of Valerie Mack, one of 11 victims whose remains were discovered during the search for Shannan Gilbert near Gilgo Beach in New York. She was dismembered, and police recovered more of her body parts in Manorville, about 50 miles away. (Suffolk County Police Department)

As a result, Torres is seeking unspecified “recovery for the wrongful torture and murder of Valerie Mack, for the terror, restraint, pain, mutilation, and dismemberment inflicted upon her before and after death, for the concealment and mutilation of her remains, and for the profound and prolonged harm thereby inflicted,” the lawsuit said.

Alleged serial killer Rex A. Heuermann is escorted into Judge Tim Mazzei’s courtroom at Suffolk County Court in Riverhead for a hearing on July 17, 2025. (James Carbone/Newsday)

The suit also aims to seek compensation from Heuermann’s ex-wife, Asa Ellerup, and daughter Victoria Heuermann stemming from profits made from the Peacock documentary, “Gilgo Beach Killer: House of Secrets.” 

The family received over $1 million from the documentary, according to Newsday.

“Asa Ellerup and Victoria Heuermann at some point in time knew of, concealed, deliberately ignored, or consciously avoided learning of material facts concerning the assault, murder, dismemberment, concealment, and disposal of Valerie Mack,” the lawsuit added. 

The lawsuit also addresses New York’s two-year deadline for wrongful death lawsuits to be filed, arguing the limit should be waived for Torres due to his age at the time of his mother’s murder and authorities’ delay in identifying her remains.

He is expected to plead guilty to all seven counts of murder as part of a plea deal offered by Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney. He is due back in court on Wednesday.

Heuermann is accused of killing Mack, Megan Waterman, Melissa Barthelemy, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Jessica Taylor, Sandra Costilla and Amber Lynn Costello. 

Tierney, and the attorneys for Heuermann, Ellerup and Torres did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Ellerup’s attorney is expected to address the lawsuit at a 4 p.m. news conference.