As the countdown neared for Trump’s ultimatum to Tehran, the US president walked back on threats to attack Iran’s energy sector , drawing mixed responses from regional and international countries.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump declared a five-day pause on strikes on Iran’s energy infrastructure after threatening the “total decimation” of facilities if Tehran continued to refuse full passage of ships in the Strait of Hormuz . Iran denies negotiations with the US Iran’s foreign ministry has denied reports about negotiations between Washington and Tehran, after Trump said the two countries had "very good and productive conversations regarding a complete and total resolution of our hostilities in the Middle East" over the past two days.
Trump had described the supposed talks as being "[in-]depth, detailed, and constructive", adding that they would continue throughout the week.
Iran’s Fars news agency likewise cited an unnamed Iranian source saying that there had been neither direct contact with Trump nor "through an intermediary" .
Meanwhile, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim , which has links to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), has commented on the announcement, saying, "Trump backs down!" Israel yet to comment Israel, which has been engaged with US forced in bombarding Iran since 28 February, has yet to issue an official comment on whether Tel Aviv, too, agrees to a five-day pause in strikes. Bloomberg , however, has cited an anonymous Israeli official who said the country was planning to continue attacks while avoiding energy assets .
Instead, the Israeli military has issued on its social media platforms an announcement that it was conducting a new wave of strikes on what it alleges to be "terror regime targets" in the heart of Tehran. Reactions from regional and international countries Oman’s Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi said the conflict with Iran was "not of their making " and was causing widespread economic disruption, adding that Muscat was "working intensively" to ensure the safe passage of vessels through the Strait of Hormuz.
The UK has welcomed the supposed talks between Trump and Iran, with a spokesperson for PM Keir Starmer saying that "any reports of productive talks are welcome".
"We've always said that swift resolution to the war is in global interests and the Strait of Hormuz specifically needs to be reopened," the spokesperson added.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he spoke to Trump on Sunday, and now felt "grateful" at his comment on postponing strikes on energy facilities for another five days.
The EU's foreign policy chief likewise responded to Trump's announcement that he will not attack Iran's energy infrastructure, calling it "a welcome development".