President Donald Trump said on March 23 that he ordered a five‑day pause on planned U.S. strikes against Iranian energy sites after what he called “productive” talks toward a full resolution of the Middle East conflict.
In a Truth Social post, Trump stated that both sides discussed a “complete and total resolution” of the conflict, now entering its fourth week.
“I am pleased to report that the United States of America, and the country of Iran have had, over the last two days, very good and productive conversations regarding a complete and total resolution of our hostilities in the Middle East,” the president said on his social media platform.
“Based on the tenor and tone of these in‑depth, detailed, and constructive conversations, which will continue throughout the week, I have instructed the Department of War to postpone any and all military strikes against Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure for a five‑day period, subject to the success of the ongoing meetings and discussions.”
Talks between the United States and Iran took place on the night of March 22, involving special envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff and their Iranian counterparts, Trump told Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo.
He also noted that a deal could happen within five days.
Trump said the United States is not negotiating with Iranian leader Mojtaba Khamenei.
“We’re dealing with a man who I believe is the most respected and the leader,” Trump told reporters in a press gaggle in West Palm Beach, Florida. He said that person is not Khamenei.
“We have not heard from the son,” he stated, referring to Khamenei, son of former Iranian leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed in U.S.–Israeli strikes on Feb. 28.
“Every once in a while you’ll see a statement made [by Mojtaba Khamenei], but we don’t know if he’s living,” Trump said.
Referring to Iran’s top leadership position, Trump added that no one in Iran “wants that job right now.”
“Nobody’s exactly looking forward to being the head of that particular country, but perhaps we’ll be able to solve that problem,” he said.
The U.S. military has “wiped out the leadership phase one, phase two, and largely, phase three,” Trump said.
“It’s a little tough—we’ve wiped out everybody,” he said.
Senior Israeli political sources in Jerusalem told Epoch Magazine Israel that the United States informed Israel in advance of Trump’s decision to delay further escalation, and that he asked Israel to refrain from striking Iranian power plants and infrastructure during the five-day window.
The sources said Egypt, Turkey, and Pakistan worked behind the scenes to mediate between Washington and Tehran, with Pakistan serving as the lead intermediary. They added that while U.S. contacts were handled by Kushner and Witkoff, Israeli officials believed Iran’s side may have been represented by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, a senior civilian figure closely aligned with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which currently holds significant influence.
Iran has disputed that talks are happening.
Trump’s comments come after he issued a 48‑hour deadline for Iran to reopen the strategically important Strait of Hormuz.
The narrow waterway between Iran and Oman, which handles about 20 million barrels of oil and petroleum products per day, has been a focal point of the conflict.
Financial markets cheered the Truth Social post before paring their gains.
The blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average popped by more than 1,200 points following the news. The benchmark index trimmed its rally to about 500 points.
The tech-driven Nasdaq Composite Index and broader S&P 500 soared by about 170 points and 600 points, respectively. They cut their increase by about half.
After tanking by almost 11 percent, crude oil prices tempered, with the U.S. benchmark—World Texas Intermediate—declining by about 5 percent to $93 per barrel. Brent, the global benchmark for oil prices, also slumped by more than 5 percent to kick off the trading week at about $106 per barrel.
Speaking on a call with CNBC’s Joe Kernen on March 23, the president said conversations with Iranian officials have been intense and expressed hope that the situation will be resolved soon.
Kernen noted that Trump described the operations in Tehran as regime change.
Ghalibaf warned on March 22 that any attack on Iran’s power facilities would prompt swift retaliation against energy and oil sites throughout the region. He said those locations would be treated as legitimate targets and “permanently destroyed,” adding that such a confrontation would send global oil prices sharply higher.
Financial institutions holding U.S. government bonds would also become targets, Ghalibaf said in a separate X post.
“U.S. treasury bonds are soaked in Iranians’ blood. Purchase them, and you purchase a strike on your HQ and assets,” he stated. “Alongside military bases, those financial entities that finance the U.S. military budget are legitimate targets.”
Yields on U.S. Treasury securities rose across the board in futures trading, but long-term interest rates have experienced a reversal.
The benchmark 10-year yield erased about 2 basis points to below 3.8 percent. The 30-year yield fell by about 2 basis points to 4.94 percent.
The 2-year, which typically tracks Federal Reserve policy, was little changed at 3.89 percent. The short-term government bond has surged this month on growing expectations that the U.S. central bank will keep interest rates higher for longer, with a growing chorus of investors pricing in a rate hike later this year.
Friends Read Free
Copy
Facebook
Tweet
