In an indication that the US is considering de-escalating the situation with Iran, President Donald Trump said on Monday that he has directed the American military to postpone targeting Tehran’s power plants and energy infrastructure for next five days following the recent talks with Iranian side in the past two days. The 79-year-old called the talks with Iran “very good” and “productive”, saying they focused on a “complete and total” resolution on the hostilities in the Middle East.
He made the remarks in a post on his Truth Social account, writing his entire post in capital letters.
“BASED ON THE TENOR AND TONE OF THESE IN DEPTH, DETAILED, AND CONSTRUCTIVE CONVERSATIONS, WITCH WILL CONTINUE THROUGHOUT THE WEEK, I HAVE INSTRUCTED THE DEPARTMENT OF WAR TO POSTPONE ANY AND ALL MILITARY STRIKES AGAINST IRANIAN POWER PLANTS AND ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE FOR A FIVE DAY PERIOD, SUBJECT TO THE SUCCESS OF THE ONGOING MEETINGS AND DISCUSSIONS,” he said.
Iran, however, has not responded to Trump’s remarks and has not even acknowledged about the talks.
Trump’s 48-hour ultimatum to Iran
Trump’s decision to postpone the strikes comes a day after he gave 48-hour ultimatum to Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz. In his warning, the US president had said that the American forces will ‘obliterate’ Iran’s energy infrastructure if it fails to open to transit point from where nearly 20 per cent of the global crude passes through.ย
In response to Trump’s threat, Iran had said that the Strait remains open for everyone, except for the enemies of the Islamic Republic. It also warned of striking the power plants and energy infrastructure of all Middle East nations.
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian, in a post on X, had said that Tehran will firmly confront “delirious threats on the battlefield”.ย “The illusion of erasing Iran from the map shows desperation against the will of a history-making nation. Threats and terror only strengthen our unity,” he said on Sunday.