U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday announced he is extending a pause on attacks targeting Iran’s energy infrastructure for 10 more days, until April 6, claiming this was at Tehran’s request and talks to end the ongoing conflict were going “very well.”
The war, triggered by joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran on Feb. 28, has thus far killed thousands of people, engulfed the Middle East, and roiled global economies with soaring energy prices. Ahead of announcing the extended pause on social media, Trump addressed a cabinet meeting at the White House during which he threatened to increase pressure on Tehran if it did not make a deal.
“Talks are ongoing and, despite erroneous statements to the contrary by the Fake News Media, and others, they are going very well,” he wrote in his TruthSocial post.
However, despite Trump’s claims, the Wall Street Journal has reported that Iran did not ask for any pause on strikes on its energy plants.
The U.S. president had previously announced a five-day pause in attacks on Iran’s energy sites, which was set to conclude on March 27 (today). The pause, however, was restricted to energy plants, with both Israel and Iran continuing to trade strikes.
During the first pause, Iran and the U.S. exchanges peace proposals via indirect channels, as confirmed by Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar in a posting on X. This was endorsed by Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff, who claimed before a cabinet meeting there were “strong signs” that Tehran was ready to negotiate.
“We will see where things lead, and if we can convince Iran that this is the inflection point with no good alternatives for them, other than more death and destruction,” he said.
In the same meeting, Trump claimed Iran had allowed 10 oil tankers transit the Strait of Hormuz as a goodwill gesture in negotiations, including some Pakistan-flagged vessels. Nevertheless, analysts say the pause and negotiations could be a delaying tactic, as the president has sent thousands of troops to the Middle East, some of whom have already arrived, driving expectations of a ground invasion.