BREAKING: Trump Orders Pentagon to Halt Planned Strikes After ‘VERY GOOD’ Talks With Iran

(Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via AP Images)

President Donald Trump announced Monday that the U.S. and Iran have held “PRODUCTIVE CONVERSATIONS” over the past two days on a potential end to “HOSTILITIES” and announced a temporary halt to planned military strikes just days after issuing a stark ultimatum to Tehran.

In a post on Truth Social, the president said he had ordered a five-day pause on attacks targeting Iranian energy infrastructure following “VERY GOOD” talks between the two sides:

I AM PLEASE 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. BASED ON THE TENOR AND TONE OF THESE IN DEPTH, DETAILED, AND CONSTRUCTIVE CONVERSATIONS, WITCH 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

The announcement marks a sharp shift in tone after Trump warned Iran over the weekend that it had 48 hours to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face the destruction of its energy infrastructure.

That ultimatum followed escalating violence in the region, including what officials described as Tehran’s most destructive attack yet on Israel. The vital oil shipping route remains effectively closed, raising global economic concerns, while additional U.S. Marines have been deployed to the Middle East.

Trump had previously threatened to “hit and obliterate” Iranian power plants if the strait was not reopened within the deadline. Iran responded by warning it would “irreversibly destroy” essential infrastructure across the region, including water systems, if U.S. strikes went ahead.

Iranian state-linked media reported Monday that regime officials denied any talks with the Trump administration had happened, contradicting the president.

Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs soon issued the following statement:

The US President’s statements are within the framework of efforts to reduce energy prices and gain time to implement his military plans.

There are initiatives by regional countries to de-escalate tensions, and our response to all of them is clear: We are not the party that started this war, and all these requests should be referred to Washington.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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