Did Donald Trump back down? Iran media denies talks after US President's claims of 'productive' conversations
Amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, Iranian media refute President Trump's assertion of productive talks with Iran regarding military strikes. The denial raises questions about the potential for continued conflict in the region.
Iranian media on 23 March denied US President Donald Trump's claims about ‘very good and productive’ conversations that the US and Iran had over the last two days, after which he gave orders to postpone any military strikes against Iranian power plants for five days.
President Trump's announcement came hours before a deadline that threatened further escalation in the conflict, now in its fourth week.
Iran's Fars news agency said after Trump's 'all caps' Truth Social post that there was no direct communication with the United States or through intermediaries. Citing an unnamed source, Fars said Trump had retreated after hearing that Iran would respond by attacking all power plants in the region, news agency Reuters reported.
The report quoted a source briefing on Israel's war plans said Washington had kept it informed of its talks with Tehran, and that Israel was likely to follow Washington in suspending any targeting of Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure.
The prime minister's office did not immediately respond to Reuters request for comment on US talks with Iran or Washington's decision to hold off on striking some Iranian targets, it said.
The Fars news agency report came shortly after Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform that the US and Iran had had "VERY GOOD AND PRODUCTIVE" conversations over the past two days about a "COMPLETE AND TOTAL RESOLUTION OF HOSTILITIES IN THE MIDDLE EAST".
President Trump said he had instructed the Defence Department to postpone the strikes pending the outcome of the talks.
Earlier, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said he spoke by phone with his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan. Turkey has been an intermediary before in negotiations between Tehran and Washington.
Trump’s announcement came as the United Arab Emirates reported its air defense were attempting to intercept new incoming Iranian fire Monday afternoon.
Iran's earlier warning
Earlier on Monday, Iran warned it would strike electricity plants across the Middle East and mine the Persian Gulf after Trump threatened to bomb power stations in the Islamic Republic if it did not reopen the strait.
The war, now in its fourth week, has already seen several dramatic turning points — the killing of Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei, the bombing of a key Iranian gas field, and strikes targeting oil and gas facilities and other civilian infrastructure in Gulf Arab nations.
The conflict has killed more than 2,000 people, shaken the global economy, sent oil prices surging, and endangered some of the world’s busiest air corridors.
Trump’s ultimatum and Iran’s promise of retaliation threatened to raise the stakes yet again, with potentially catastrophic repercussions for civilians across the region.
Trump's comments briefly sent the price of the Brent crude oil benchmark down around 13% to back below $100 a barrel. By 1155 GMT, however, it was back around $105. [O/R]
On Saturday, Trump had warned that Iranian power plants would be destroyed if Tehran failed to "fully open" the Strait of Hormuz to all shipping within 48 hours.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards on Monday threatened retaliation, saying they would attack Israel's power plants and those supplying U.S. bases across the Gulf region if Trump followed through with his threat.
Iran has effectively closed the key Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas flows.
(With agency inputs)
About the Author
Gulam Jeelani is Political Desk Editor at LiveMint with over 16 years of experience covering national and international politics. Based in New Delhi, Jeelani delivers impactful political narratives through breaking stories, in-depth interviews, and analytical pieces at LiveMint since February 2024. The expertise in video production fuels his current responsibilities, which include curating content and conducting video interviews for an expanding digital audience.<br><br> Jeelani also travels during elections and key political events and has covered assembly elections in key states apart from national elections. He has previously worked with The Pioneer, Network18, India Today, News9Plus and Hindustan Times.<br><br> Jeelani’s tenure at LiveMint and previous experience at print and digital newsrooms have honed his skills in creating compelling text and video stories, explainers, and analysis that resonate with a diverse viewership.<br><br> Before moving to New Delhi in 2015, Jeelani was based in Uttar Pradesh, where he worked for five years as a reporter. In 2018, Jeelani was one of the two Indian journalists selected for the Alfred Friendly Fellowship in the US. There, he attended training workshops on reporting and data journalism, and he was attached to the Minneapolis Star Tribune in Minnesota, where he worked as a reporter.<br><br> Jeelani is a Bachelor's in Chemistry and holds a Masters Degree in journalism and mass communication from Aligarh Muslim University. Outside work, he enjoys poetry, cricket and movies.
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