The pause is a result of "very good and productive" meetings with Iran over the past two days, Trump claims.
The talks are about a "complete and total resolution of our hostilities in the Middle East," he writes on his own platform Truth Social. Based on the negotiations, the US Department of Defense has now been instructed to "postpone all military strikes against Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure for a five-day period" - provided that the talks continue successfully.
Continued conversations
On Saturday, Trump gave Iran a 48-hour deadline to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. If it did not, the United States would bomb Iranian power plants, he threatened. Iran responded on Monday by threatening to mine the Persian Gulf and attack energy facilities in "any area that supplies electricity to American bases."
According to Trump, talks with Iran will continue this week. He told CNBC that the discussions have been intense and that he is hopeful of achieving something "very significant." However, he also portrays what is happening in Iran as "regime change."
"Retreat"
In state-run Iranian media, it sounds different. According to Fars, which is close to the Revolutionary Guard, there are no talks between Iran and the US. The news agency describes Trump's statement as a "retreat after Iran's clear warning."
It is not clear whether Israel also intends to pause or refrain from attacks on Iran. On Monday night, the country's military said it had launched a new round of "large-scale" attacks on the capital Tehran.
Immediately after Trump's announcement of postponed attacks on energy targets, the stock market turned upward.
