In what could be a shift in the ongoing war between Washington and Tehran, President Donald Trump announced on Monday that the United States will not attack Iranian energy infrastructure for five days.
Taking to Truth Social, Trump said he asked the US War Department to "postpone any and all military strikes" targeting Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure for five days. "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 conversation regarding a complete and total resolution of our hostilities in the Middle East," he posted.
For latest news and analyses on Middle East, visit: Yello! Middle East
However, Iran's semiofficial Fars news agency, which is close to the Revolutionary Guard, cited a source, saying there has been no direct contact with Donald Trump, "not even through an intermediary".
Responding to Trump, Iran’s state media posted on X, saying, "Trump, fearing Iran’s response, backed down from his 48-hour ultimatum."
Later, the Iranian embassy in Kabul posted on X that Trump's "retreat" came after Iran's "firm warning".
"After the Islamic Republic threatened that in the event of any US attack on Iran's energy infrastructure, it would target the energy infrastructure of the entire region, Trump backed down and stated that he had issued an order to postpone the attack," read the post.4
Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said Iran would consider vital infrastructure across the region to be legitimate targets, including energy and desalination facilities critical for drinking water in Gulf nations.
Earlier, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said he spoke by phone with his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan. Turkiye has been an intermediary before in negotiations between Tehran and Washington.