Live updates: Follow the latest news on US-Iran war
US President Donald Trump said he has held “productive conversations” with Tehran to resolve Middle East hostilities and has postponed military strikes on Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure for five days.
However, unnamed Iranian sources denied having any direct or indirect contact with Mr Trump in reports carried by state media, clouding the prospect of peace.
The surprise announcement was published on Truth Social hours before the end of the 48-hour ultimatum that Mr Trump had given Iran to “fully open” the Strait of Hormuz or face attacks on its power plants. Tehran has vowed to retaliate if such attacks are carried out.
“I am pleased to report that the United States of America and the country of Iran have had, over the last two days, very good and productive conversations regarding a complete and total resolution of our hostilities in the Middle East,” Mr Trump wrote.
“Based on the tenor and tone of these in-depth, detailed and constructive conversations, which will continue throughout the week, I have instructed the Department of War to postpone any and all military strikes against Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure for a five-day period, subject to the success of the ongoing meetings and discussions.”
In Tehran, an “Iranian source” told Press TV there had been “no contact – whether direct or indirect – with Trump”, claiming “he backed down after being warned their [Iran's] targets would include power plants across West Asia”.
A senior security official told the semi-official Tasnim news agency there had been "no negotiations and there are none, and with this kind of psychological warfare neither the Strait of Hormuz will return to its prewar conditions, nor will there be peace in the energy markets”.
“Trump's five-day ultimatum means the continuation of this regime's programme for crimes against the people, and we will continue to respond and defend the country extensively,” the source added. “From the beginning of the war until today, messages have been sent to Tehran from some mediators, the clear answer of which has been that we will continue to defend until we achieve the necessary deterrence.”
On Saturday, Mr Trump had given Iran a 48-hour ultimatum to open the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies are normally transported. The deadline expires at 3.44am GST on Tuesday. He threatened to strike Iranian power plants if the waterway is not reopened.
Iran responded by threatening to plant all routes in the Gulf with sea mines and to target power infrastructure in Israel and plants supplying US bases with electricity.
Iranian forces have blocked the strait and fired on ships and tankers trying to pass through it, in an attempt to put pressure on the global economy and halt US-Israeli strikes. The closure has already had severe consequences for global oil prices and other commodities, while leaving countries such as Iraq struggling to export crude.
Shortly after Mr Trump's announcement, the Israeli air force launched a wave of strikes on Tehran, the military said, attacking “Iranian regime infrastructure sites”.
Meanwhile, Oman, the main mediator between Iran and the US, warned of more severe economic problems if the conflict that has killed hundreds in Iran and elsewhere in the region continues.
“Whatever your view of Iran, this war is not of their making,” Omani Foreign Minister Badr Al Busaidi wrote on X. “This is already causing widespread economic problems and I fear they promise to get much worse if the war continues. Oman is working intensively to put in place safe passage arrangements for the Strait of Hormuz.”
