Postpones strikes on Iranian power plants
WASHINGTON: In a major breakthrough towards peace in the Middle East, US President Donald Trump on Monday said that the United States and Iran have held “very good and productive” talks regarding a complete and total resolution of hostilities.
Following the conversations held over the last two days, Trump said he will order the military to postpone any strikes against Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure for five days.
In a capital letters post on his Truth Social, Trump said, “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.”
The US President said that the talks would continue throughout the week and as a result of that, strikes on power plants will remain postponed for five days.
“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. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER! PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP,” he added.
Following Trump’s announcement of peace talks with Iran, Brent crude has fallen 13 per cent to about USD 96 a barrel, and gas prices have fallen from 159p a therm to about 139p.
The development comes shortly after Iran’s National Defence Council warned that any attack on the Iranian coast or islands will cause “all communication lines in the Persian Gulf to be mined”.
Trump had given Iran a 48-hour deadline to reopen the Strait of Hormuz shipping route. He threatened to target the country’s power plants if the shipping route is not reopened.
In response, Iran had threatened to destroy regional energy infrastructure and completely shut the Strait of Hormuz.
Agencies