US President Donald Trump stepped back Monday from his threat to target Iran's power grid, announcing a five-day postponement of any strikes against Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure, while making clear that the broader military offensive against Iran's military and intelligence sites continues unabated.
The military campaign against Iran's security infrastructure goes on © Mena Today
US President Donald Trump stepped back Monday from his threat to target Iran's power grid, announcing a five-day postponement of any strikes against Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure, while making clear that the broader military offensive against Iran's military and intelligence sites continues unabated.
"The United States and 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 on Truth Social.
"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."
Trump's announcement came after Iran threatened to strike Israel's power plants and energy infrastructure supplying US military bases across the Gulf if Washington targeted its own grid, a mutual assured destruction dynamic that appears to have given both sides pause.
On Saturday, Trump had warned Iran's power stations would be destroyed if Tehran failed to "fully open" the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours. Monday's announcement effectively extends that deadline by five days.
Iran's Fars news agency - citing an unnamed source - denied any direct or indirect communications with the United States. Given the Islamic Republic's well-documented history of strategic disinformation, that denial should be treated with appropriate skepticism.
Markets React, War Continues
Financial markets responded immediately to the de-escalation signal: Brent crude fell sharply, equity markets rallied and government borrowing costs retreated — a reminder of how closely global economic stability is tied to the conflict's trajectory.
But the pause on energy infrastructure is precisely that, a pause. US and Israeli strikes on Iranian military and intelligence sites are continuing, as Washington maintains pressure on Tehran's security apparatus while leaving open a diplomatic window.
Trump is offering Iran a five-day exit ramp. The military campaign against Iran's security infrastructure goes on. The Strait of Hormuz remains closed. And Tehran's propaganda machine is claiming there are no talks, while the talks, by all credible accounts, are happening.
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Hezbollah rejected a ceasefire plan agreed by the Lebanese and Israeli governments in U.S.-mediated talks, as Israel kept up strikes in southern Lebanon on Thursday and said it wouldn't be withdrawing from the south.
Israel and Lebanon agreed to implement a new ceasefire after U.S.-mediated talks, the Trump administration said, raising hopes for progress toward ending the wider U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.
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