Trump Postpones Strikes on Iranian Energy Sites After “Productive” Talks With Tehran

US President Donald Trump has instructed the Pentagon to postpone military strikes against Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure for five days, signalling a possible diplomatic pause in a conflict that has escalated sharply in recent weeks, according to a post on Truth Social platform.

Trump said the United States and Iran had held “very good and productive conversations” over the past two days aimed at achieving a “complete and total resolution of our hostilities in the Middle East.” He added that the decision to delay the strikes was based on the “tenor and tone” of the ongoing discussions, which he said would continue throughout the week.

Earlier Trump had said the US military will destroy Iranian power plants if Tehran did not “fully open" the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours. 

The West Asia conflict has entered its fourth week, centred on escalating hostilities between Iran and the US–Israel alliance, with direct strikes on energy infrastructure and rising risks to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical artery for global oil and gas flows. The confrontation has seen retaliatory attacks across the region and threats to disrupt maritime traffic, pushing crude prices above $110 per barrel and sharply increasing freight and insurance costs.  For India, which sources a significant share of its crude, LNG and fertiliser imports from this corridor, the disruption poses a dual challenge of securing supplies while containing inflation and managing external balances.

Brent crude fell over 10% after the latest announcement by Trump.