Trump pauses Iran strikes, says deal is likely

Trump pauses Iran strikes, says deal is likely

U.S. President Donald Trump, who issued a 48-hour ultimatum to Iran on Saturday to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face strikes on its power infrastructure, said on Monday that he would postpone the attacks for five days after “very good and productive” talks with Tehran.

“I am please[d] 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,” he wrote in a social media post.

Later in Washington, Mr. Trump told presspersons that Iran and the U.S. had “very, very strong talks” and there were “major points of agreement” between the two countries with a “real possibility of making a deal”.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, however, denied negotiations with the U.S., saying that “fake news is intended to... escape the quagmire in which America and Israel are trapped”.

Iran denies claims

Iranian Foreign Ministry also denied Mr. Trump’s claims while the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it launched a new wave of missile and drone attacks targeting the U.S. Fifth Fleet in Bahrain and U.S. bases in other West Asian countries.

“Our people demand the complete and humiliating punishment of the aggressors. All officials stand firmly behind their Leader and people until this goal is achieved”, the Iranian Speaker said in a social media post on Monday.

In recent days, friendly countries sent messages indicating that the U.S. had requested talks to end the war, but Iran had not responded, state news agency IRNA quoted the Ministry spokesperson as saying.

Mizan, Iran’s state-run news agency, reported on Monday that Mr. Trump’s statement on delaying strikes was aimed at reducing “energy prices and to buy time for implementing his military plans”.

“Yes, there have been initiatives from regional countries to reduce tensions, and our response to all of them is clear: we are not the party that started this war, and all such requests should be directed to Washington,” Mizan cited the Iranian Foreign Ministry as saying.

After Mr. Trump had issued the ultimatum, Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters had warned that it would target power and energy infrastructure in the Persian Gulf countries hosting American bases, and in Israel if Iran’s power plants were attacked. Iran was prepared to “completely destroy all the U.S. economic interests in the West Asia region”, a military spokesperson said on Saturday.

‘Points of agreement’

“Based on the tenor and tone of these in-depth, detailed, and constructive conversations, witch [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,” Mr. Trump added in his post.

Talking to presspersons in Washington, Mr. Trump said Steve Witkoff, his special envoy for West Asia, and Jared Kushner, his son-in-law, talked to Iran on Sunday and that the discussion would continue. “We have had very, very strong talks. We’ll see where they lead. We have points, major points of agreement, I would say, almost all points of agreement ... we’ve had very strong talks, Mr. Witkoff and Mr. Kushner had them,” he said.

“All I am saying is, we are in the throes of a real possibility of making a deal... We are dealing with the man who I believe is the most respected and the leader,” Mr. Trump said, without saying who the U.S. was speaking with.