diff --git a/topdown/http.go b/topdown/http.go
index 0b5c16870a7..aa2f01e8f73 100644
--- a/topdown/http.go
+++ b/topdown/http.go
@@ -839,10 +839,7 @@ func (c *interQueryCache) checkHTTPSendInterQueryCache() (ast.Value, error) {
 		return nil, handleHTTPSendErr(c.bctx, err)
 	}
 
-	headers, err := parseResponseHeaders(cachedRespData.Headers)
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
-	}
+	headers := parseResponseHeaders(cachedRespData.Headers)
 
 	// check with the server if the stale response is still up-to-date.
 	// If server returns a new response (ie. status_code=200), update the cache with the new response
@@ -864,11 +861,16 @@ func (c *interQueryCache) checkHTTPSendInterQueryCache() (ast.Value, error) {
 			}
 		}
 
-		expiresAt, err := expiryFromHeaders(result.Header)
-		if err != nil {
-			return nil, err
+		if forceCaching(c.forceCacheParams) {
+			createdAt := getCurrentTime(c.bctx)
+			cachedRespData.ExpiresAt = createdAt.Add(time.Second * time.Duration(c.forceCacheParams.forceCacheDurationSeconds))
+		} else {
+			expiresAt, err := expiryFromHeaders(result.Header)
+			if err != nil {
+				return nil, err
+			}
+			cachedRespData.ExpiresAt = expiresAt
 		}
-		cachedRespData.ExpiresAt = expiresAt
 
 		cachingMode, err := getCachingMode(c.key)
 		if err != nil {
@@ -1155,28 +1157,14 @@ type responseHeaders struct {
 // time in seconds: http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc7234#section-1.2.1
 type deltaSeconds int32
 
-func parseResponseHeaders(headers http.Header) (*responseHeaders, error) {
-	var err error
+func parseResponseHeaders(headers http.Header) (*responseHeaders) {
 	result := responseHeaders{}
 
-	result.date, err = getResponseHeaderDate(headers)
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
-	}
-
-	result.cacheControl = parseCacheControlHeader(headers)
-	result.maxAge, err = parseMaxAgeCacheDirective(result.cacheControl)
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
-	}
-
-	result.expires = getResponseHeaderExpires(headers)
-
 	result.etag = headers.Get("etag")
 
 	result.lastModified = headers.Get("last-modified")
 
-	return &result, nil
+	return &result
 }
 
 func revalidateCachedResponse(req *http.Request, client *http.Client, inputReqObj ast.Object, headers *responseHeaders) (*http.Response, bool, error) {
diff --git a/topdown/http_test.go b/topdown/http_test.go
index d1e080808b2..95208c6e91d 100644
--- a/topdown/http_test.go
+++ b/topdown/http_test.go
@@ -1464,6 +1464,141 @@ func TestHTTPSendInterQueryForceCaching(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestHTTPSendInterQueryForceCachingRefresh(t *testing.T) {
+	cacheTime := 300
+	tests := []struct {
+		note             string
+		request          string
+		headers          map[string][]string
+		skipDate         bool
+		response         string
+		expectedReqCount int
+	}{
+		{
+			note:             "http.send GET cache expired, reloads normally",
+			request:          `{"method": "get", "url": "%URL%", "force_json_decode": true, "force_cache": true, "force_cache_duration_seconds": %CACHE%}`,
+			headers:          map[string][]string{},
+			expectedReqCount: 2,
+			response:         `{"x": 1}`,
+		},
+		{
+			note:             "http.send GET cache expired, no date, reloads normally",
+			request:          `{"method": "get", "url": "%URL%", "force_json_decode": true, "force_cache": true, "force_cache_duration_seconds": %CACHE%}`,
+			headers:          map[string][]string{},
+			expectedReqCount: 2,
+			skipDate:         true,
+			response:         `{"x": 1}`,
+		},
+		{
+			note:             "http.send GET cache expired, returns not modified",
+			request:          `{"method": "get", "url": "%URL%", "force_json_decode": true, "force_cache": true, "force_cache_duration_seconds": %CACHE%}`,
+			headers:          map[string][]string{"Etag": {"1234"}},
+			expectedReqCount: 2,
+			response:         `{"x": 1}`,
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, tc := range tests {
+		t.Run(tc.note, func(t *testing.T) {
+			t0 := time.Now().UTC()
+
+			var requests []*http.Request
+			ts := httptest.NewServer(http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+				requests = append(requests, r)
+				headers := w.Header()
+
+				for k, v := range tc.headers {
+					headers[k] = v
+				}
+
+				if tc.skipDate {
+					headers["Date"] = nil
+				} else {
+					headers.Set("Date", t0.Format(http.TimeFormat))
+				}
+
+				etag := w.Header().Get("etag")
+
+				if r.Header.Get("if-none-match") != "" {
+					if r.Header.Get("if-none-match") == etag {
+						// add new headers and update existing header value
+						headers["Cache-Control"] = []string{"max-age=200, public"}
+						w.WriteHeader(http.StatusNotModified)
+					}
+				} else {
+					w.WriteHeader(http.StatusOK)
+					_, err := w.Write([]byte(tc.response))
+					if err != nil {
+						t.Fatal(err)
+					}
+				}
+			}))
+			defer ts.Close()
+
+			request := strings.ReplaceAll(tc.request, "%URL%", ts.URL)
+			request = strings.ReplaceAll(request, "%CACHE%", strconv.Itoa(cacheTime))
+			full := fmt.Sprintf("http.send(%s, x)", request)
+			config, _ := iCache.ParseCachingConfig(nil)
+			interQueryCache := iCache.NewInterQueryCache(config)
+			q := NewQuery(ast.MustParseBody(full)).
+				WithInterQueryBuiltinCache(interQueryCache).
+				WithTime(t0)
+
+			for i := 0; i < 2; i++ {
+				resp, err := q.Run(context.Background())
+				if err != nil {
+					t.Fatal(err)
+				}
+
+				if len(resp) < 1 {
+					t.Fatalf("missing response on query %d: %v", i, resp)
+				}
+
+				resResponse := resp[0]["x"].Value.(ast.Object).Get(ast.StringTerm("raw_body"))
+				if ast.String(tc.response).Compare(resResponse.Value) != 0 {
+					t.Fatalf("Expected response on query %d to be %v, got %v", i, tc.response, resResponse.String())
+				}
+
+				var x interface{}
+				if err := util.UnmarshalJSON([]byte(request), &x); err != nil {
+					t.Fatalf("failed to unmarshal request on query %d: %v", i, err)
+				}
+				cacheKey, err := ast.InterfaceToValue(x)
+				if err != nil {
+					t.Fatalf("failed create request object on query %d: %v", i, err)
+				}
+
+				val, found := interQueryCache.Get(cacheKey)
+				if !found {
+					t.Fatalf("Expected inter-query cache hit on query %d", i)
+				}
+
+				m, err := val.(*interQueryCacheValue).copyCacheData()
+				if err != nil {
+					t.Fatal(err)
+				}
+				expectedExpiry := t0.Add(time.Second * time.Duration(cacheTime))
+				if expectedExpiry.Sub(m.ExpiresAt).Abs() > time.Second*1 {
+					t.Fatalf("Expected cache to expire on query %d in %v secs got %s", i, cacheTime, t0.Sub(m.ExpiresAt).Abs())
+				}
+
+				m.ExpiresAt = t0.Add(-time.Hour * 1)
+				v, err := m.toCacheValue()
+				if err != nil {
+					t.Fatal(err)
+				}
+
+				interQueryCache.Insert(cacheKey, v)
+			}
+
+			actualCount := len(requests)
+			if actualCount != tc.expectedReqCount {
+				t.Errorf("Expected to get %d requests, got %d", tc.expectedReqCount, actualCount)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
 func TestHTTPSendInterQueryCachingModifiedResp(t *testing.T) {
 	tests := []struct {
 		note             string