Extends deadline for striking power plants; Tehran denies negotiations claim
Dubai: US President Donald Trump on Monday said the US was talking with a “respected” Iranian leader and claimed the Islamic Republic was eager for a deal to end the war. He also extended a deadline for Iran to reopen the crucial Strait of Hormuz or face attacks on its power plants, saying it has an additional five days.
Trump’s turnaround, which held out the possibility of resolving the war now in its fourth week, served to drive down oil prices and jolt stocks. It offered a reprieve after the US and Iran traded threats over the weekend with potentially catastrophic repercussions for civilians across the region.
Trump told reporters that Iran wants “to make a deal,” and claimed US envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner had held talks with an Iranian leader on Sunday. He did not say who was representing Iran, but said the US has not talked to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei.
Trump said if a deal is reached, the US would move to take Iran’s enriched uranium, which is critical to its disputed nuclear programme. Iran has adamantly refused such demands in the past, insisting it has the right to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes. Turkiye and Egypt, meanwhile, said they had spoken to the warring parties.
This is the first sign of coordinated mediation from the regional heavyweights.
Iran’s Parliament Speaker denied there have been any negotiations with the United States. Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf wrote on X that “No negotiations have been held with the US, and fake news is used to manipulate the financial and oil markets and escape the quagmire in which the US and Israel are trapped.”
The war 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 millions 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, through which a fifth of all traded oil passes, within 48 hours – a deadline that would have expired late Monday (Washington time).
In extending the deadline by five days, Trump said the suspension was “subject to the success of the ongoing meetings and discussions.” In Tehran, the state-owned IRAN newspaper reported that Iran’s Foreign Ministry denied there had been any talks.
“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. Turkiye has been an intermediary in past talks between Tehran and Washington.
Turkiye’s Foreign Ministry declined to comment on Monday on whether the country had relayed messages between Iran and the US. On Sunday, however, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan held telephone calls with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi as well as counterparts from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Egypt, and the European Union.
Turkish officials also said he spoke with US officials as part of efforts to end the war, without providing further details.
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, meanwhile, said Cairo has delivered “clear messages” to Iran focusing on de-escalating the conflict, according to his office. Egypt says it has intensified its efforts to de-escalate the war in the Middle East. Egypt’s Foreign Ministry said it was making “constant efforts and communications” with all parties in recent days.
