Donald Trump announces five-day halt on strikes on Iran's energy infrastructure
The Iran conflict, raging for over three weeks now, will see a temporary halt. President Donald Trump announced that strikes against Iran's energy infrastructure and power plants would cease for five days. This, he said, came after positive talks between Tehran and Washington, as per President Trump's post on Truth Social. However, it is unclear whether the same terms apply to Israel, which has also been attacking Iran.
In a Truth Social post, President Trump announced that the U.S.A. and Iran have had "very good and productive conversations over the last two days regarding a complete and total resolution of our hostilities in the Middle East." The President added that based on the "in-depth, detailed and constructive" talks, he has instructed the Department of War to postpone all military strikes against Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure for five days.
While uncertainties surrounding the Middle East conflict continue, Trump's announcement eased the pressure on oil prices that have been hovering near record highs; oil prices went down roughly 9% to 14% on Monday. However, analysts remain cautious as the President's previous tweets have indicated the U.S.A's readiness to escalate the conflict if Iran refuses American terms. Just a day before his latest announcement, President Trump had threate ned to "obliterate" Iran's power plants, in a post on Truth Social.
While Trump claimed that he had positive talks, Tehran has threatened to strike power plants across the Middle East and mine the Persian Gulf, as per a Washington Post report. Iran's statement came as a response to Trump’s 48-hour deadline for opening the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has also issued threats to Israel in case it chooses to invade. That would lead to a much larger problem, and it is still unclear where the two Middle Eastern countries stand.
"Any attempt by the enemy to target Iran's coasts or islands will, naturally and in accordance with established military practice, lead to the mining of all access routes...in the Persian Gulf and along the coasts," Iran's Defense Council said in a statement. The routes that would be mined include the Strait of Hormuz, which is already proving to be a huge challenge to cross. While some countries have been able to pass their ships through, even that could prove impossible if the waterway were infested with lethal mines. Israel has suggested that its ground forces could take part in the war, while Trump has yet to rule out plans to use American ground troops. Meanwhile, the death toll in Iran has reportedly crossed 1,500, while 15 Israeli citizens were mortal victims of Iranian strikes.
