Trump announces five-day pause in strikes on Iranian energy sector

US President Donald Trump said he had ordered a five-day pause in strikes on Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure.

Trump made the announcement on his Truth Social platform.

He noted that over the past two days, "very good and productive talks" have taken place between the United States and Iran on a comprehensive settlement of the conflict in the Middle East.

According to Trump, the postponement of the strikes is possible only if the negotiations continue successfully this week, and the decision is based on the "nature and tone" of the current consultations.

After this statement, the price of Brent crude oil fell sharply to just over USD 98 per barrel, while in recent days it has been around USD 110.

On March 22, Donald Trump said that he was giving Iran 48 hours to unblock the Strait of Hormuz or he would order the destruction of the country's entire energy infrastructure. In response, the speaker of the Iranian parliament, Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, announced that critical infrastructure and energy facilities in the Middle East could be "irreversibly destroyed" in the event of an attack on Iranian power plants.