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President Donald Trump backed down on targeting Iran’s power network on Monday, saying the U.S. and Iran have held constructive talks and that he would postpone any strikes on power plants and energy infrastructure.
Trump’s statement came after Iran threatened to attack Israel’s power plants and those supplying U.S. bases across the Gulf region if the U.S. targets Iran’s power network.
Conversations with Iran will continue throughout the week, Trump said in a social media post. However, Iran’s Fars news agency, citing a source, said there are no direct or indirect communications with the United States.
The White House did not respond to questions about the content of the talks, who participated or where they were held.Donald Trump says the US and Iran have held talks on the "complete and total resolution of hostilities" in the Middle EastHe says that, as a result of the talks, he has postponed threatened strikes on Iranian power plants for five days - oil and gas prices fall immediately
However, Iran's foreign ministry denies such talks have taken place, according to the BBC's US partner CBS - here's what Tehran said
Trump later says the US side was represented by Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. He says if the postponement of strikes goes well "we're going to end up with settling this - otherwise, we'll just keep bombing our little hearts out"
On Saturday night, Trump had given Iran a 48-hour deadline to reopen the Strait of Hormuz - or, he said, the US would "obliterate" Iranian power plants
Trump's latest message is perhaps his most conciliatory since the war began, but it leaves significant unanswered questions - read more from our White House reporter
Earlier, the UK's Keir Starmer and Trump agreed that reopening the Strait of Hormuz is "essential to resume global shipping" during a call late on Sunday, according to Downing Street
The US president next suggests Iran might agree to give up plans for a nuclear weapons programme in exchange for peace.
"Tomorrow morning, sometime their time, we were expecting to blow up their largest electric generating plants that cost over $10bn (£7.5bn) to build," he says.
"It was a very good one, there was no dearth of money. One shot it is gone. It collapses. Why would they want that?
"So they called, I didn't call. They called. They want to make a deal," Trump says.
"And we are very willing to make a deal. It's got to be a good deal, and it's got to be no more wars, no more nuclear weapons.
"They're not going to have nuclear weapons anymore. They're agreeing to that. Any of that stuff, there is no deal," he adds.
Trump continues by telling reporters at Palm Beach that the US and Iran have "major point of agreement".
Speaking next to Air Force One, he says the talks have been "very strong" and his adviser Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner have been involved.
"We will see where they lead," he says of the talks.
"We have major point of agreement; I would say almost all points of agreement."
The president says the US has been speaking to "a top person" but not the new supreme leader, before adding: "We don't know whether he is living."