U.S. President Donald Trump has revealed he is extending the de@dline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face the destruction of its energy plants, after Tehran had earlier rejected a 15-point U.S. proposal to end the war.
The four-week war has spread across the Middle East, k!lling thousands of people and hitting the global economy with soaring energy prices, fuelling global inflation fears.
The United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28 during talks with Tehran about its nuclear program that had not yet yielded a deal.
On Thursday, March 26, Trump threatened during a cabinet meeting at the White House to increase pressure on Iran if it did not make a deal. He later posted on social media that he would pause threatened attacks on Iranian energy plants for 10 days until April 6 at 8 p.m. Eastern daylight time (0000 GMT on April 7).
“Talks are ongoing and, despite erroneous statements to the contrary by the Fake News Media, and others, they are going very well,” he added in his Truth Social post.
Iran has said it is not engaged in talks with Washington, and Trump has not identified who the U.S. is negotiating with in Iran, with many high-ranking officials killed in the war.
On March 23, Trump announced a halt to all threatened strikes against power plants and energy infrastructure for a five-day period, but he has now extended it to 10 days.
Trump told Fox News’ “The Five” program that the Iranians had asked for a seven-day pause on strikes on energy plants.
There was no immediate reaction from Tehran, but the Wall Street Journal cited peace talk mediators as saying Iran did not ask for a 10-day pause on such strikes.
Iran has said it would return strikes on energy facilities in the Gulf region if Trump follows through with his threat.
Iran has effectively blocked the Strait of Hormuz, which carries about 20% of global oil and liquefied natural gas, spiking energy prices and roiling financial markets.
Iranian media reported strikes on residential areas in Tehran, Qom, and Urumia in the early hours of Friday morning.
Three residential homes in the Pardisan area of Qom, south of Tehran, were struck, killing at least six people. In Tehran, rescue workers from the Red Crescent pulled a survivor from the rubble of a residential building that was hit by airstrikes.