The US President, Donald Trump, has announced that he has instructed the Department of Defence to delay all airstrikes targeting Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure for a period of five days. The pause, he said in a Truth Social post, is contingent on the “success” of ongoing discussions.
Trump added that over the past two days, Washington and Tehran had engaged in “very good and productive conversations” aimed at achieving a “complete and total resolution” of hostilities in the Middle East.
Earlier, Trump had given Iran a 48-hour deadline – until just before midnight GMT on Monday – to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the crucial waterway currently obstructed by Iran, which handles around a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas supplies.
In response, Tehran warned it would “irreversibly destroy” critical infrastructure across the Middle East, including essential water systems, if the US acted on the threat. Iran also said it would target power plants supplying electricity to American bases, along with economic, industrial, and energy facilities in which US interests are involved.
Trump maintained that talks had been “productive” and expressed hope for a “complete and total resolution” to the conflict.
