US President Donald Trump has extended his deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, saying the US will hold off on power plant strikes for five days.

In his announcement on Truth Social, Trump also held out the possibility of a resolution to the war – though Iranian officials denied there were negotiations.

Trump's turnaround appeared to offer something of a reprieve after rhetoric reached a fever pitch when the US and Iran traded threats with potentially catastrophic repercussions for civilians across the region.

Shortly after Trump's announcement, hours before the deadline was set to expire, Iranian state television declared that the American leader had backed down “following Iran’s firm warning.”

The war, now in its fourth week, has already seen several dramatic turning points – the killing of Iran’s supreme leader, 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.

The latest threatened attacks could have cut electricity to wide swaths of people in Iran and around the Gulf and knocked out desalination plants that provide many desert nations with drinking water. There are also increasing concerns about the consequences of any strikes on nuclear facilities.

Trump said over the weekend that the US would “obliterate” Iran’s power plants unless the country releases its stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours – a deadline that would have expired late Monday Washington time.

But on Monday morning, Trump wrote on his Truth Social site that the US and Iran have had “very good and productive conversations” that could yield “a complete and total resolution” in the war.

Trump added that the suspension of his threat to attack power plants was “subject to the success of the ongoing meetings and discussions.”

Trump did not elaborate on the negotiations that had taken place, and the state-owned IRAN newspaper reported that Iran’s Foreign Ministry denied that there have been any.

“Remarks by the US president are part of efforts to reduce energy prices and buy time to implement his military plans,” the newspaper said.

Earlier, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said he spoke by phone with his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan.

Ankara has been an intermediary before in negotiations between Tehran and Washington. (AP)
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Last updated: 2026-03-23 HKT 21:44


Edited by Edmond Fong