President Donald Trump announced Thursday he was extending a period during which the U.S. will not target Iranian energy infrastructure, as early efforts toward a ceasefire between the two countries proceed.
"As per Iranian Government request, please let this statement serve to represent that I am pausing the period of Energy Plant destruction by 10 Days to Monday, April 6, 2026, at 8 P.M., Eastern Time," President Trump wrote on social media.
The president appears to be extending a five-day pause on airstrikes against Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure that he originally announced on Monday, when he cited "very good and productive conversations" related to ending the war in the Middle East.
On Thursday, the president said talks with Iran were "ongoing."
RELATED NEWS | Trump reveals 'present' from Iran as ceasefire talks face uncertainty
During a cabinet meeting on Thursday, Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, said the United States had presented Iran with a 15-point plan he described as a framework for a peace deal. He said the proposal was delivered through Pakistani intermediaries.
Iran has previously said it rejected the plan, which would require it to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
During that cabinet meeting, President Trump revealed what he described as a “present” from Iran during negotiations to end the war, saying the gesture involved multiple oil tankers moving through a critical shipping route.
“You know I told you about a present, right?” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting. “They said, to show you the fact that we're real and solid and we're there, we're going to let you have eight boats of oil, eight boats, eight big boats of oil … and it ended up being 10 boats.”
The president's announcement extending the deadline around power plant strikes came eleven minutes after U.S. stock markets closed for the day, having marked their worst single-day slide since the war began.
