The four-week war has spread across the Middle East killing thousands of people and hitting the global economy with soaring energy prices, fuelling global inflation fears.

The US and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28 after talks about Tehran’s nuclear program failed to yield a deal.

On Thursday, 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, 2026.

“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 US 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 has now extended it to 10 days. Iran did not ask for a 10-day pause on such strikes, the Wall Street Journal cited peace talk mediators as saying.

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.

–Reuters–