Washington, United States. President Donald Trump said he is pausing threatened attacks on Iran’s energy plants for 10 days until April 6, 2026, citing what he described as a request from the Iranian government and saying talks were going “very well.” Iran has said it is not engaged in talks with Washington, and mediators cited by the Wall Street Journal said Iran did not request a 10-day pause.
Pause on threatened strikes and April 6 deadline
Trump said on Thursday that he would extend what he described as a deadline to April 6 for Iran to make a deal or face the destruction of its energy plants, while also stating that he was pausing threatened attacks on energy facilities for 10 days.
He posted on Truth Social that the pause would run until April 6, 2026 at 2000 EDT (0000 GMT on April 7). He also wrote that talks were ongoing and “going very well,” disputing what he called “erroneous statements” by the “Fake News Media, and others.”
War context and earlier halt
The four-week war has spread across the Middle East, killing thousands of people and contributing to soaring energy prices that have hit the global economy and fuelled inflation fears.
The United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28 after talks about Tehran’s nuclear program failed to produce a deal.
On March 23, Trump announced a halt to all threatened strikes against power plants and energy infrastructure for a five-day period, which he has now extended to 10 days.
Conflicting accounts on Iranian request
Iran has said it is not engaged in talks with Washington, and Trump has not identified who the United States is negotiating with in Iran, with many high-ranking officials killed in the war.
The Wall Street Journal cited peace talk mediators as saying Iran did not ask for a 10-day pause on strikes on energy plants.
Trump told Fox News’ “The Five” that the Iranians had asked for a seven-day pause on strikes on energy plants. There was no immediate reaction from Tehran.
What do you think the conflicting accounts about the requested pause indicate about the status of U.S.-Iran contacts?
