Donald Trump says the US has agreed to the “complete and total resolution of hostilities” with Iran
Donald Trump signaled a possible end to the war in the Middle East by announcing that the United States had agreed to a “complete and complete resolution of hostilities” with Iran.
The US President made a statement and stated that he had “very good and productive talks” with Iran in the last two days.
Just hours before a deadline set by Iran to destroy its power plants unless the Strait of Hormuz is opened, Mr. Trump announced that the United States would “delay” planned military strikes on Tehran’s energy infrastructure for five days.
This would allow talks to end the war to continue, Mr. Trump said in his social post. The news caused a sudden rise in world markets.
“I am pleased to report that the United States of America and the country of Iran have had very good and productive talks over the past two days toward a full and total resolution of our hostilities in the Middle East,” he said in a statement published on Truth Social Monday night.
“Based on the nature and tone of these in-depth, detailed and constructive discussions that will continue throughout the week, I have directed the Department of War to postpone any military strikes against Iran’s power plants and energy infrastructure for a period of five days, depending on the success of the ongoing meetings and discussions.
“Thank you for your interest in this matter! President Donald J. Trump.”
It’s a dramatic step back from the Epic Fury escalation he promised just 36 hours ago, leaving the world in a delicate position as the countdown ticks down to the 8am AWST deadline on Tuesday.
“If Iran does not COMPLETELY OPEN THE Strait of Hormuz WITHOUT THREAT within 48 HOURS from this point, the United States of America will hit and destroy various POWER PLANTS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST FIRST!” He shared a post on social media on Sunday.
The threat of an attack by Iran prevents most ships from passing through the narrow waterway, which acts as a conduit for about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies, and threatens a global energy shock.
This week, Mr. Trump accused NATO allies of cowardice for their reluctance to help open the strait.
He also called for Australia to “get involved”, saying he was “a little surprised they would say ‘no’ in a conflict because we always tell them yes”.
Other allies said they would consider it, but most said they were reluctant to join a war that Mr. Trump started without consulting them.
Over the weekend, Australia joined 21 other countries in signing a joint commitment to protect oil tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
The coalition of nations has expressed “a readiness to contribute to appropriate efforts”, but the Australian government has not announced what assets, if any, it will deploy to the critical trading waterway.
Just hours before Mr Trump paused his plan to destroy it, Russia said any US attack on Iran’s Russian-built nuclear power plant could trigger “irreparable” consequences.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that the “catastrophically tense” situation could only be resolved through political and diplomatic means.
Peskov warned that any attack on nuclear facilities would be “extremely dangerous and fraught with possibly irreparable consequences.”
Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya military command center had said that if the US attacked Iran’s fuel and energy infrastructure, Iran would target all US energy, information technology and desalination infrastructure in the region.
Threats to Gulf infrastructure worth billions of dollars have emerged as the conflict moves into dangerous new areas.
