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LAST UPDATE | 2 hrs ago
DONALD TRUMP HAS said he would postpone possible US strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure for another ten days at the request of Iran’s government.
In a post on Truth Social, the US president said he was pausing the strikes until Monday, 6 April at 8pm Eastern time (12am Irish time).
“Talks are ongoing and, despite erroneous statements to the contrary by the Fake News Media, and others, they are going very well,” he added.
Trump has been saying for days that Iran wants to make a deal, amid growing signs he is seeking a quick end to the conflict.
Iran, however, has repeatedly denied that talks are taking place, with foreign minister Abbas Arraghchi yesterday saying: “We do not intend to negotiate.”
He initially threatened to strike Iran’s power plants last Saturday if Iran did not reopen the Strait of Hormuz. But on Monday, he postponed this by five days and said US and Iranian officials had held “very good and productive conversations”.
Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf denied that negotiations had taken place, describing the reports as “fake news” to “manipulate the financial and oil markets and escape the quagmire in which the US and Israel are trapped”.
Earlier today, during his first cabinet meeting since the US and Israel launched strikes on the country, Trump denied being “desperate” to make a deal with Iran and insisted it was the one “begging” for a deal, despite Tehran’s denials.
He rejected reports that he was looking for an exit ramp, as oil prices continue to soar and political pressure mounts to avoid the kind of drawn-out Middle East war he once spurned.
“I read a story today that I’m desperate to make a deal,” Trump told reporters. “I’m the opposite of desperate. I don’t care.”
During today’s 90-minute televised meeting at the White House, he veered between repeated threats to “obliterate” Iran and claims it was on the verge of capitulating.
“They want to make a deal. The reason they want to make a deal is they have been just beat to shit,” Trump said.
Citing the original timeframe of four to six weeks that he gave shortly after the US-Israeli offensive began on 28 February, Trump said “we’re extremely, really, a lot ahead of schedule.”
The Republican also said Iran had allowed ten oil tankers to pass through the strategic Strait of Hormuz as a “present” to show it was serious about negotiations to end the war.
But he then said that taking control of Iran’s oil was an “option,” as the US effectively did with Venezuela after kidnapping Nicolas Maduro, who appeared in a US court today.
“They said ‘to show you the fact that we’re real and solid and we’re there, we’re going to let you have eight boats of oil,’” Trump told reporters.
The tankers were believed to be Pakistani-flagged, he said, claiming he had seen news reports that they had passed the strait.
“And, I said, ‘well, I guess we’re dealing with the right people’. And actually, they then apologised for something they said, and they said, ‘We’re going to send two more boats.’”
He did not provide any further details.
Data from marine intelligence firm Kpler shows that six laden oil tankers and five loaded gas carriers have transited the Gulf since Monday, but there was no independent confirmation these were the ones cited by Trump.
Of these vessels, three oil tankers and two gas carriers are currently subject to US sanctions related to Iran. Based on tracking signals, two of the six oil tankers appear to be heading toward China, while one is bound for Thailand.
Among the gas carriers, one is en route to Singapore, and another has already arrived in India. For the remaining six vessels, their destinations cannot be determined from the available data.
Trump’s latest comments will once again fuel the speculation that has swirled since the start of the war about the 79-year-old’s goals and timeline for the conflict.
The US-Iran talks have been shrouded in uncertainty since Trump first announced them on Monday and postponed a threat to attack Iran’s power plants.
Trump’s global envoy Steve Witkoff today confirmed for the first time that Washington had sent a 15-point “action list” via mediator Pakistan and said there were “strong signs” Iran might make a deal.
Trump meanwhile spent much of his time lambasting Nato and other allies for rejecting his appeals to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, through which around a fifth of global crude oil and liquefied natural gas normally passes.
He blasted the British aircraft carriers London eventually offered as “toys” compared to their US equivalents.
“I’ve done a great favour for the world. The world has not been reciprocal,” Trump said. “I believe that’s going to cost them dearly.”
Trump’s top officials also chimed in.
Top US diplomat Marco Rubio appeared to quote rappers Public Enemy as he said that “every day, the Department of War lets the drummer get wicked over every portion of Iran.”
Secretary of defence Pete Hegseth hailed Trump for “doing the work of the free world.”
“We pray for a deal, and we welcome a deal,” Hegseth said. “But in the meantime…the Department of War will continue negotiating with bombs.”
With reporting from © AFP 2026
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