U.S. Will Hold Off On Iran Power Plant Strikes For 5 Days, Extending Trump Deadline On Hormuz Strait

The state-owned IRAN newspaper said Iran’s Foreign Ministry denied that any negotiations have taken place with the U.S.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — President Donald Trump extended his deadline for Iran to reopen the crucial Strait of Hormuz to international shipping, saying Monday that the U.S. would hold off on threatened strikes against Iranian power plants for five days.

In his announcement on Truth Social, Trump also held out the possibility of a resolution to the war — though Iranian officials denied there were negotiations. Trump’s turnaround appeared to offer something of a reprieve after rhetoric reached a fever pitch when the U.S. and Iran traded threats with potentially catastrophic repercussions for civilians across the region.

Shortly after Trump’s announcement — hours before the deadline was set to expire — Iranian state television declared that the American leader had backed down “following Iran’s firm warning.”

The war, now in its fourth week, has already seen several dramatic turning points — the killing of Iran’s supreme leader, the bombing of a key Iranian gas field, and strikes targeting oil and gas facilities and other civilian infrastructure in Gulf Arab nations. The conflict has killed more than 2,000 people, shaken the global economy, sent oil prices surging, and endangered some of the world’s busiest air corridors.

The latest threatened attacks could have cut electricity to wide swaths of people in Iran and around the Gulf and knocked out desalination plants that provide many desert nations with drinking water. There are also increasing concerns about the consequences of any strikes on nuclear facilities.