Tehran Asked for 7 Days; I Gave 10: Trump on Pause of Strikes on Iran's Energy Infrastructure

Washington: US President Donald Trump on Thursday (local time) said that Iran had sought a seven-day pause on American strikes targeting its energy infrastructure, but he decided to extend the window to 10 days, pushing the deadline to April 6.

Speaking to Fox News, Trump said Iran had approached his administration requesting more time as part of the ongoing diplomatic engagement between the two sides amid the conflict in West Asia.

"They said to me very nicely, through my people, 'Could we have more time?' Because we're talking about tomorrow night, which is pretty quick, and if they don't do what they have to do, I will knock out their power plants," Trump said.

Elaborating on his decision, Trump added, "They asked for seven, and I said, 'I'm going to give you 10,' because they gave me ships."

Trump stated that his decision to give 10 days was because of Iran allowing the passage of eight oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz as a "present" to the United States amid ongoing negotiations.

"We talked about the eight ships, the present that I talked about the other day, but they asked for seven, and I gave them ten. And they were very thankful about that," the US President added.

Earlier in the day, Trump stated that he is extending the pause on strikes targeting Iran's energy infrastructure for an additional 10 days, until Monday, April 6, 2026, as part of the ongoing diplomatic talks between the two sides.

In a post on Truth Social, the US President claimed that the announcement comes as per a "request" from the Iranian Government and further stated that the negotiations with Tehran were "going very well".

"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. Talks are ongoing and, despite erroneous statements to the contrary by the Fake News Media, and others, they are going very well," the post read.

On Monday, Trump announced that he had instructed the US Department of War to delay any military action against Iranian power plants and energy sites for five days, citing ongoing diplomatic engagements with Tehran amid escalating tensions in West Asia.

In another post on Truth Social, Trump said the United States and Iran had held "very good and productive conversations" aimed at resolving hostilities in the region. He added that the decision to pause strikes was based on the "tenor and tone" of the discussions, which he described as "in-depth, detailed, and constructive".

"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 post read.

"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. Thank you for your attention to this matter!" it added.

Prior to his announcement on Monday, Trump on Saturday issued a warning to Tehran, giving it 48 hours to open the strategically significant Strait of Hormuz or face potential strikes on its energy facilities.

In an earlier post on Truth Social, Trump stated that if Iran does not "fully open" the Strait within 48 hours, the United States would target and "obliterate" Iranian power plants.

"If Iran doesn't FULLY OPEN, WITHOUT THREAT, the Strait of Hormuz, within 48 HOURS from this exact point in time, the United States of America will hit and obliterate their various POWER PLANTS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST!" the post read.

Trump's latest extension of deadlines - first moved from Monday to Friday with a five-day reprieve and now pushed back by another 10 days -- underscores the shifting timelines amid evolving developments. 

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