Iran officials have contradicted Donald Trump’s claim of “productive” talks with the regime and suggested his decision to postpone strikes on Iranian power plants was a sign of a panicking president.
On Monday morning, merely hours ahead of a deadline that threatened further escalation in the Middle East, Trump announced he had given orders to postpone any military strikes against Iranian power plants for five days, noting the two countries have had “very good and productive conversations regarding a complete and total resolution of our hostilities in the Middle East.”
In an all-caps statement on Truth Social, he added: “BASED ON THE TENOR AND TONE OF THESE IN DEPTH, DETAILED, AND CONSTRUCTIVE CONVERSATIONS, WITCH 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.”
He later told reporters that if the talks go well, “we’re going to end up settling this—otherwise we just keep bombing our little hearts out.”
However, moments after his post, Iran’s Fars news agency cited unnamed Iranian sources claiming there was no direct communication with the U.S. or through intermediaries.
“There is no direct or indirect contact with Trump. He retreated after hearing that our targets would be all power plants in West Asia,” the source said.
The Iranian Embassy in Kabul also stated on X, “After the Islamic Republic threatened that in the event of any American attack on Iran’s energy infrastructure, the energy infrastructure of the entire region would be targeted, Trump backed down and said he had issued an order to postpone the attack.”
Trump’s comments briefly sent the price of the Brent crude oil benchmark down around 13 per cent, to below $100 a barrel. However, this soon increased again to $105.
But the conflicting narratives have fueled criticism that the administration is struggling to maintain a coherent message about the war, which began with U.S. strikes on Iranian targets in late February.
What was initially framed by Trump as “a brief excursion” has since evolved into a broader standoff with significant economic and geopolitical consequences.
That prospect has triggered unease among Republican lawmakers, who are increasingly worried about the domestic fallout.
With gas prices now soaring due to the standoff in the Strait of Hormuz, Trump last week begged America’s allies to join the conflict, only to be humiliated when they rejected his pleas.
Speaking to reporters in Palm Beach, Florida, Trump insisted Iran “wants to make a deal.” He said that his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and special envoy Steve Witkoff had discussions with Iranian representatives yesterday.
He said the pair had been dealing with a “top person” in Iran, but wouldn’t name them, simply saying that person was not Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei.
He also claimed that Iran was prepared to give up its nuclear ambitions, telling reporters, “they’re not gonna have a nuclear weapon... they agreed to that.”
When pressed about Iran’s contradicting claims, Trump also gave a novel reason: that it’s hard to get information from Iran because the U.S. is blowing up so much of its infrastructure.
“They’re going to have to get themselves better public relations people,” he added.
“We have a very serious chance of making a deal,” he said.
“I think if I were betting, man, I’d bet for it. But again, I’m not guaranteeing anything. They want to make a deal very badly.”
