Trump delays strikes on Iran power, energy plants for five days, citing very good and productive conversations
President Trump announced Monday that the US will not attack any part of Iran’s power and energy infrastructure for five days after Washington and Tehran engaged in “very good and productive talks” over the weekend about ending the three-week-old war.“I am please [sic] 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,” Trump wrote, without elaborating.“Based on the tenor and tone of these in-depth, detailed, and constructive conversations, witch [sic] 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.”In a subsequent phone call with CNBC, Trump said that the US is “very intent on making a deal with Iran” and characterized discussions as very intense.Iran quickly disputed Trump’s claims about talks, with the Foreign Ministry issuing a statement to state-run newspaper IRAN that read: “Remarks by the US president are part of efforts to reduce energy prices and buy time to implement his military plans.“While there have been initiatives by regional countries to de-escalate tensions, Iran’s response has been clear: It did not start the war and all such requests should be directed to Washington.”The statement from Tehran, along with a continuation of Israeli airstrikes, caused oil prices to surge back near $100 per barrel as of 8:30 a.m.ET.Trump’s announcement had caused the benchmark Brent crude price to drop to below $94 per barrel from a high of nearly $109 per barrel ahead of trading hours, while futures for the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average soared 2.6% before the opening bell.The president had given Iran 48 hours to reopen the vital Strait of Hor...