The US president claimed two days of talks led to his order to pause strikes on Iranian energy facilities but Tehran has denied any talks have taken place
US President Donald Trump has said he has ordered the Department of War to postpone strikes on Iranian power plants for five days, following what he claimed were "productive conversations" between Washington and Tehran.
Iranian media has denied outright that any talks with the American side took place at all.
Trump had upped the ante over the weekend, threatening strikes on Iranian energy facilities if Tehran did not lift tis threat to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, to which Iran responded by publishing a list of power stations and energy facilities across the Gulf that it would target.
Iran has kept the vital shipping route closed to most vessels since February 28, when the US and Israel launched the first wave of strikes against the country.
International markets have responded predicatbly to teh first sign of de-escalation in the 4-week war.
Meanwhile Israel is expanding ground operations against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, where the IDF has destroyed several bridges across the strategic Litani River.
At least 1,444 people have been killed and 18,551 injured in US-Israeli attacks on Iran since February 28, the country’s Health Ministry has said.
Iran’s retaliatory strikes killed 15 people in Israel and seven US service members at bases in the region. A further six US service members were killed in a crash involving a refueling aircraft.
Trump threatened on Saturday to strike power plants in Iran unless the Strait of Hormuz is reopened within 48 hours.
Iran has kept the crucial waterway largely closed to vessels linked to the US and Israel since the outbreak of the war. The disruption – affecting a route carrying roughly one-fifth of global oil supplies – has already pushed crude prices higher and heightened concerns over a prolonged global supply shock.
The IRGC has said that if Iranian power plants are targeted, the Strait of Hormuz will be “completely” closed until the facilities are rebuilt.
Saudi Arabia has declared several Iranian embassy staff, including the military attaché, to be persona non grata, and ordered them to leave the country within 24 hours due to Tehran’s ongoing attacks on the Gulf region.
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