Trump Postpones Threat of Strikes on Iran Power Plants

President Donald Trump told the Pentagon to postpone all military strikes against Iranian power plants for five days, he posted Monday on Truth Social, delaying his weekend threat to bomb the country’s energy infrastructure.

Trump claimed that the U.S. and Iran have had “very good and productive conversations” over the last two days. Iranian officials have not publicly commented, though state media has reportedly depicted Trump’s post as the U.S. “backing down.”

The details of the negotiations are unclear. Iran has previously said that it would not ask for a ceasefire, would retaliate with strikes on power plants throughout the region and would keep the Strait of Hormuz closed.

Trump threatened on Saturday to bomb Iran’s energy infrastructure within 48 hours unless Iran reopened the Strait of Hormuz. Trump has repeatedly said that the end of the war is near, but has offered differing timelines.

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His post Monday did not mention other kinds of strikes in the country. The U.S. and Israel’s bombings have hit residential areas, schools, hospitals, government buildings and coastal military infrastructure.

On Monday, shortly after Trump’s post, Israel announced a new wave of strikes in Iran, according to the New York Times.

The conflict has seen mounting death tolls, with 1,500 killed in Iran and more than 1,000 killed in Lebanon, according to the countries’ health ministries. Thirteen Americans and 18 Israelis have been killed in the conflict, according to their governments, as well as many more casualties in the region.

In the U.S., the conflict has sent oil and gas prices soaring in recent weeks. Trump has acknowledged that reopening the flow of oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz is “essential.”

Oil prices fell after Trump’s Monday announcement.