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A potential 45-day ceasefire between the United States and Iran is being weighed by the White House, according to a senior administration official who spoke Monday, as diplomatic efforts intensify to prevent further escalation.

The official told NBC that the proposed pause in fighting is one of multiple scenarios currently under review by senior members of the administration, signaling that discussions remain ongoing and no final decision has been made.

Separately, Reuters reported that Pakistan has put forward a plan aimed at halting the conflict and creating a pathway toward broader negotiations, in an effort to de-escalate tensions across the region.

According to sources familiar with the initiative, senior Pakistani and American officials were engaged in extensive overnight discussions, with Pakistan Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir in direct contact with top U.S. figures, including Vice President J.D. Vance and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, as well as Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

The proposal, referred to as the “Islamabad Agreement,” outlines a two-stage process. The first phase would involve an immediate ceasefire and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to allow uninterrupted maritime traffic. The second phase envisions negotiations lasting 15 to 20 days in Islamabad, aimed at reaching a lasting settlement, including Iran agreeing to dismantle its nuclear weapons program in return for significant sanctions relief.

In Tehran, officials are approaching the proposal cautiously. A senior Iranian official confirmed that the government is examining the plan but made clear that Iran is unwilling to proceed under pressure or rigid timelines, emphasizing resistance to externally imposed “deadlines.”

A burst of winter weather is returning to the Northeast just as spring conditions had begun to take hold, with a fast-moving system bringing snow and cooler temperatures back to the region.

A clipper system is moving quickly across the Northeast, delivering light snowfall to several major cities, while areas of upstate New York had already begun seeing snow early Monday.

Syracuse, New York, reported accumulating snow, and forecasters say locations including Boston and Burlington, Vermont, could receive a light coating through Tuesday.

The late-season system is a reminder that the severe 2025–2026 winter has not fully loosened its grip.

This past winter has been marked by extreme conditions, including repeated heavy storms that blanketed parts of the Northeast with multiple feet of snow, disrupted daily life, and broke longstanding records.

Across the region, powerful blizzards and coast-to-coast storm systems contributed to what many are calling one of the most intense winters in recent memory.

Looking ahead, forecasters expect scattered snow showers and cooler-than-average temperatures to persist from the Great Lakes through New England between Monday and Wednesday.

According to the FOX Forecast Center, the passage of a cold front is ushering in a return of colder air across both the Northeast and parts of the mid-Atlantic.

“While not unusually cold for this time of year, Monday’s temperatures will fall closer to seasonal averages with highs in the 40s and 50s,” they noted.

At the same time, a developing low-pressure system over the Great Lakes is drawing in enough moisture to support light snowfall across the region.

Snow totals are expected to remain modest, generally ranging between 1 and 3 inches, with slightly higher accumulations possible near the Great Lakes and in elevated areas such as the Adirondacks.

Cities expected to see snow include Buffalo; Syracuse, with 1 to 3 inches forecast; Burlington, around 1 inch; Albany; and even light flurries in Boston and New York City.

Meteorologists note that most of these locations typically experience their final measurable snowfall by early to mid-April.

Beyond the snowfall, a broader drop in temperatures is expected to impact a large portion of the region.

After experiencing near-record warmth in recent days, temperatures are forecast to plunge 10 to 20 degrees below average from Monday through Wednesday.

Wednesday is expected to bring the coldest conditions, with wind chills dipping into the 20s across inland areas of the Northeast.

Conditions are expected to moderate by Thursday, with temperatures climbing back toward more typical seasonal levels.

Astronauts aboard NASA’s Artemis II mission reached a historic milestone Monday, venturing farther from Earth than any humans before them and surpassing a record that had stood since the Apollo era.

The four-member crew exceeded the previous distance benchmark of 248,655 miles — set by Apollo 13 — at approximately 1:56 p.m. Eastern Time, pushing slightly beyond it to 248,656 miles as their spacecraft sped past the moon at nearly 2,000 miles per hour.

The moment came almost exactly 56 years after Apollo 13 established the original record on April 14, 1970. That mission achieved the milestone under emergency conditions, as astronauts used the moon’s gravitational pull to swing their damaged spacecraft back toward Earth following an onboard explosion.

The Artemis II crew, however, continues to extend that distance, moving progressively farther from Earth until the spacecraft begins its return trajectory later in the evening.

Mission projections indicate the astronauts will ultimately reach a peak distance of approximately 252,757 miles before turning back toward Earth.

Following that point, the Orion capsule will begin its journey home, with splashdown expected in the Pacific Ocean around Friday evening at approximately 8 p.m. Eastern Time.

The record-setting distance will be achieved shortly after the spacecraft makes its closest pass to the moon, coming within roughly 4,000 miles of the lunar surface.

This milestone will also occur during a temporary communications blackout, expected to last about 40 minutes, when the moon blocks direct signals between the spacecraft and Earth.

Contact with mission control is anticipated to resume around 7:25 p.m. once the spacecraft emerges from behind the moon.

During this period, the crew will focus on documenting and studying the lunar surface, including regions of the moon’s far side that have never been fully observed by humans.

Although astronauts on earlier missions — beginning with Apollo 8 — did glimpse parts of the far side, large portions remained obscured due to mission timing and lighting conditions.

Apollo crews typically orbited the moon while sunlight illuminated landing areas on the near side, leaving much of the far side in shadow as they passed over it.

In contrast, Artemis II’s trajectory allows for full illumination of the far side, enabling the crew to view it in its entirety, with the moon appearing roughly the size of a basketball held at arm’s length through the spacecraft windows.

The lunar flyby began at approximately 2:45 p.m. and is expected to continue until around 9:20 p.m., provided operations proceed as planned.

To illustrate the scale of the journey, mission officials noted that if Earth were the size of a soccer ball, the moon would resemble a tennis ball positioned about 30 feet away.

Like Apollo 13 before it, Artemis II is relying on gravitational forces to return home. After circling the moon, the spacecraft will use the momentum gained from its trajectory to head back toward Earth, requiring only minor adjustments rather than major engine burns.

President Donald Trump said Monday evening that his deadline for Iran to reach an agreement remains unchanged, warning that failure to comply could lead to a devastating military response against Tehran.

In remarks delivered publicly, Trump issued a stark warning about the potential consequences. “The entire country [of Iran] can be taken out in one night, and that night might be tomorrow night” Trump said. His comments followed Iran’s rejection of a temporary ceasefire proposal and its counter-demands, which included ending regional conflicts, ensuring safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, rebuilding damaged infrastructure, and lifting all sanctions.

Trump reiterated that time is running out while noting some movement in talks. “Tuesday is the deadline. The Iranians have made an offer, a significant offer, a significant step. It’s not enough, but a very significant step. They are negotiating now and they have made a very significant step.”

He added that the current Iranian interlocutors appear different from previous representatives. “The group we are talking to is not as extreme as the previous one – and it is also smarter,” the president claimed.

Despite pointing to possible progress, Trump coupled his remarks with renewed threats of force. “We are crushing this country. I hate to do that. If they don’t make a deal, they won’t have bridges, power plants or anything else. If I had a choice – I would take their oil. But the American people want to see the soldiers come home. The American people want to see us win,” Trump clarified.

Iran’s refusal came after Pakistan proposed a phased plan to both sides, calling for an immediate ceasefire and reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, followed by negotiations aimed at a comprehensive agreement within 15 to 20 days.

Trump also referenced the recent rescue of a downed American airman inside Iran, describing it as a major military achievement. “We’re here today to celebrate the success of one of the largest, most complex, most harrowing, combat searches, I guess you would call it a search-and-rescue mission, ever attempted by the military.”

He claimed the Iranians became aware of the missing crew member due to an internal leak. “We have to get that leaker” he said, adding that the individual responsible would face imprisonment once identified.

Following Trump’s remarks, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth warned that military operations are intensifying. “the amount of bombing today in Iran will be the highest since the beginning of the war – tomorrow, even more than today. And Iran has a choice. Choose wisely because this president does not play around.”

CIA Director John Ratcliffe said intelligence efforts played a critical role in the successful rescue mission. “a deception campaign to confuse the Iranians who were desperately hunting for our airmen.”

Ratcliffe added that the operation achieved its central objective. “We achieved our primary objective by finding and providing confirmation that one of America’s best and bravest was alive and concealed in a mountain crevice, still invisible to the enemy, but not to the CIA,” Ratcliffe said.

The Artemis II mission reached a defining milestone Monday as its crew began a sweeping flyby of the moon, offering both the astronauts and observers on Earth unprecedented views of previously unseen portions of the lunar far side.

The Orion capsule initiated its maneuver at approximately 2:45 p.m. Eastern Time, embarking on a trajectory that will carry it around the moon for more than six hours, with its windows facing the far side of the lunar surface.

During this phase, all four astronauts are expected to become the first humans ever to directly observe certain regions of the moon’s far side, areas that remained hidden during the Apollo missions more than five decades ago.

Unlike the Apollo flights, which orbited much closer to the lunar surface and therefore had a limited field of vision, the Artemis II spacecraft is maintaining a significantly higher altitude.

By traveling between roughly 4,000 and 6,000 miles above the moon, the crew is able to view the entire far side illuminated by sunlight, providing a broader and clearer perspective than was previously possible.

From inside the Orion capsule, the moon appears relatively small—comparable to a basketball held at arm’s length—though at the beginning of the maneuver, astronauts reported that it appeared three to four times larger than Earth.

Throughout the flyby, the astronauts are conducting research by photographing the lunar terrain and making direct visual observations of the far side.

Midway through the maneuver, at around 6:44 p.m. Eastern Time, communication with Earth is expected to temporarily cease as the moon blocks the signal between the spacecraft and ground control.

Contact is anticipated to resume at approximately 7:25 p.m., shortly after the capsule reaches its closest point to the moon at an altitude of about 4,000 miles.

Earlier in the day, at around 2 p.m., the crew surpassed a long-standing record by traveling farther from Earth than the Apollo 13 mission, which reached 248,655 miles in 1970.

That distance record is expected to be extended further, with Artemis II projected to reach approximately 252,757 miles from Earth during the mission.

The flyby is scheduled to conclude around 9:20 p.m., after which the spacecraft will begin its return journey to Earth.

Rather than relying on propulsion, the capsule will utilize the moon’s gravitational pull to slingshot back toward Earth.

The return trip is expected to take four days, with a planned splashdown in the Pacific Ocean at approximately 8:07 p.m. Eastern Time on Friday.

Looking ahead, if the mission proceeds successfully, NASA plans to follow up with another crewed mission in 2027 that will orbit Earth, followed by a lunar landing mission in 2028 as part of the Artemis program.