Trump Postpones Iran Power Plant Strikes, Says US And Tehran Hold Productive Talks

United States President Donald Trump has postponed military strikes against Iranian power plants for five days, saying America and Iran have held “productive conversations” over the weekend about ending hostilities in the Middle East.

Trump announced the decision Monday on Truth Social, hours before his deadline to strike Iranian power infrastructure was set to expire.

“I AM PLEASED TO REPORT THAT THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AND THE COUNTRY OF IRAN, HAVE HAD, OVER THE LAST TWO DAYS, VERY GOOD AND PRODUCTIVE CONVERSATIONS REGARDING A COMPLETE AND TOTAL RESOLUTION OF OUR HOSTILITIES IN THE MIDDLE EAST,” Trump wrote in all capital letters.

“BASED ON THE TENOR AND TONE OF THESE IN-DEPTH, DETAILED, AND CONSTRUCTIVE CONVERSATIONS, WHICH 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,”

Naija News reports that Trump threatened to destroy Iranian power plants if Tehran did not reopen the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours. Trump set a deadline of around 7:44 pm Eastern Time on Monday.

Iran Denies Any Dialogue With Washington

However, Iran has denied any dialogue with Washington, dismissing Trump’s claims as an attempt to lower energy prices and buy time for military plans, several Iranian state-affiliated media outlets reported, citing the foreign ministry.

There are “initiatives” from regional countries to “reduce tensions,” the foreign ministry said. “Our response to all of them is clear: we are not the party that started this war, and all these requests should be referred to Washington.”

Iran’s Fars news agency, citing a source, said there are no direct or indirect communications with the United States.