Donald Trump Postpones Planned Strikes on Iranian Infrastructure for Five Days

U.S. President Donald Trump announced Monday on his Truth Social platform that he had instructed the Pentagon to postpone all planned strikes on Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure for five days, citing what he described as "very good and productive talks" with Iran over the preceding two days. Trump wrote in a post in capital letters that the postponement was conditional on the continued success of "deep, detailed and constructive" discussions that he said would continue throughout the week. The announcement came hours before the expiration of a 48-hour ultimatum Trump had issued on Saturday, threatening to destroy Iranian power plants unless Tehran fully reopened the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping. That deadline was set to expire just after midnight between Monday and Tuesday, Polish time. Iranian official and semi-official news agencies immediately and flatly denied that any such talks had taken place, directly or indirectly, calling Trump's statements an act of psychological warfare.

Kushner and Witkoff named as U.S. envoys in Sunday talks In a telephone interview with Fox Business journalist Maria Bartiromo, Trump said Iran "very much wants to make a deal" and that an agreement could be reached within five days or even sooner. Asked about Iran's denial that any talks had occurred, Trump replied that he "doesn't know what they are talking about," stating that the most recent contact took place on Sunday evening and that the United States was represented by his son-in-law Jared Kushner and U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff. Trump added that obtaining information from Iran was difficult because U.S. forces had destroyed a large part of the country's infrastructure. In a separate interview with CNBC, Trump described the talks as "intensive" and suggested that what was happening in Iran could be regarded as a "regime change" due to changes in the country's leadership. Just before Trump's post appeared, Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi wrote on platform X that his country was "working intensively on implementing solutions ensuring safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz." Trump also mentioned Egypt, Pakistan, and Turkey as countries involved in mediating the discussions. As recently as Sunday, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Michael Waltz had maintained the administration's threats, not ruling out strikes on the nuclear power plant in Bushehr.

Tehran calls Trump's claims a market manipulation tactic Iran's response was swift and categorical. The Fars news agency, citing official sources, reported that Tehran was conducting no communication with Washington, either directly or through third countries. The semi-official Tasnim agency quoted a senior Iranian security official as saying: "No negotiations took place and none are underway," adding that Iran had informed its allies it would continue its defense "until the necessary level of deterrence is achieved." Iran's Foreign Ministry suggested that Trump's statements were designed to calm energy markets and lower oil prices, while simultaneously buying time to refine U.S. military plans. Tasnim also warned that shipping through the Strait of Hormuz would not return to its pre-war state as long as the United States continued what Iran characterized as "psychological warfare." Iran had previously threatened that if the United States carried out strikes on its territory, it would retaliate by attacking energy infrastructure, information technology facilities, and desalination plants belonging to the United States and Israel throughout the region. „There were no negotiations and there are no negotiations, and with this kind of psychological warfare, neither will the Strait of Hormuz return to its pre-war state, nor will the energy markets calm down. Trump's five-day ultimatum means the continuation of crimes against the nation, and we will continue to respond and defend the country with full determination” (There were no negotiations and there are no negotiations, and with this kind of psychological warfare, neither will the Strait of Hormuz return to its pre-war state, nor will the energy markets calm down. Trump's five-day ultimatum means the continuation of crimes against the nation, and we will continue to respond and defend the country with full determination.) — Iranian security official via Tasnim

Oil prices drop over $10 a barrel within minutes of announcement Trump's announcement triggered an immediate and sharp reaction on global energy markets. The price of Brent crude fell within minutes from 108 dollars per barrel to 96 dollars, before partially recovering to around 101 dollars per barrel, according to Gazeta Prawna. Stock indices on global exchanges, which had previously fallen sharply, also began to recover following the news. Analysts and observers offered divergent readings of the episode. Danny Citrinowicz, a former Israeli intelligence official now associated with the Atlantic Council think tank, wrote on platform X that "Trump blinked first — with a clear understanding that striking Iran's energy infrastructure would trigger a direct and significant retaliatory response." Citrinowicz assessed that while some form of communication between Washington and Tehran likely existed, "there are serious reasons to doubt that Iran has actually made concessions," and he did not expect Tehran to open the Strait of Hormuz without significant U.S. concessions in return. Iranian state television, for its part, immediately framed the episode as a U.S. retreat, reporting that "the U.S. president is backing down after Iran's firm threats." Opposition voices also weighed in: prominent Iranian exile activist Masih Alinejad had appealed to Trump on Sunday to cancel the planned strikes on power plants, arguing they would harm ordinary Iranians without toppling the government in Tehran. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres separately warned that such strikes could constitute war crimes under international law.

The U.S.-Israel military campaign against Iran, designated Operation Epic Fury, began on February 28, 2026, with strikes that killed Ali Khamenei, Iran's longtime Supreme Leader. Mojtaba Khamenei, his son, was appointed Supreme Leader on March 9, 2026. Iran subsequently moved to restrict or close the Strait of Hormuz, through which approximately one-fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas supplies are transported. The strait had been a central point of leverage in Iranian deterrence strategy for decades, with Tehran repeatedly threatening to close it during periods of heightened tension with the United States and Israel.

2026-03-23T12:00: 108, 2026-03-23T14:00: 96, 2026-03-23T15:00: 101