The Department of War has been instructed to postpone strikes against Iran’s energy infrastructure, initially for five days.
President Donald Trump said on March 23 that he ordered a five‑day pause on planned U.S. strikes against Iranian energy sites after what he called “productive” talks toward a full resolution of the Middle East conflict.
In a Truth Social post, Trump stated that both sides discussed a “complete and total resolution” of the conflict, now entering its fourth week.
“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 president said on his social media platform.
“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.”
Talks between the United States and Iran took place on Sunday night, involving special envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff and their Iranian counterparts, Trump told Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo.
He also noted that a deal could happen within five days.
Trump’s comments come after he issued a 48‑hour deadline for Iran to reopen the strategically important Strait of Hormuz.
The narrow waterway between Iran and Oman, which handles about 20 million barrels of oil and petroleum products per day, has been a focal point of the conflict.
Financial markets cheered the Truth Social post before paring their gains.
The blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average popped more than 1,200 points following the news. The benchmark index trimmed its rally to around 500 points.
The tech-driven Nasdaq Composite Index and broader S&P 500 soared about 170 points and 600 points, respectively. They cut their increase by about half.
After tanking almost 11 percent, crude oil prices tempered, with the U.S. benchmark—World Texas Intermediate—declining about 5 percent to $93 per barrel. Brent, the global benchmark for oil prices, also slumped more than 5 percent to kick off the trading week to around $106 a barrel.
Speaking on a call with CNBC’s Joe Kernen on March 23, the president said conversations with Iranian officials have been intense and expressed hope that the situation will be resolved soon.
Kernen noted that Trump described the operations in Tehran as regime change.
Iran’s parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, warned on March 22 that any attack on Iran’s power facilities would prompt swift retaliation against energy and oil sites throughout the region. He said those locations would be treated as legitimate targets and “permanently destroyed,” adding that such a confrontation would send global oil prices sharply higher.
By Andrew Moran
