President Donald Trump announced a 10-day extension in the pause of attacks against Iranian energy plants, setting the new deadline for April 6, 2026, at 8:00 PM, after ensuring that the conversations with Tehran “are going very well” and that the Iranian side requested more time.
The new extension was confirmed by Trump this Thursday on Fox News, where he stated that he granted "a 10-day deadline" because Iran requested "more time," and linked that decision to an alleged goodwill gesture related to the passage of tankers through the Strait of Hormuz.
In parallel, Trump announced on Truth Social the suspension of the "destruction period" for Iranian power plants until April 6, insisting that the discussions continue to advance.
The shift occurs just days after an exchange of threats concerning energy infrastructure, amidst the crisis over the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
The immediate origin of this extension lies in the initial five-day pause that Trump had decreed on Monday.
The president had ordered to defer "any and all" military attacks on power plants and energy infrastructure in Iran, following what he described as "very good and productive" discussions regarding the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
That first pause was set to expire this Saturday, but it has now been extended by more than a week.
Trump's previous threat had been explicit. According to CBS, the president warned over the weekend that if Iran did not open the Strait of Hormuz, the United States would strike and "annihilate" its "various POWER PLANTS, starting with the largest one."
That ultimatum marked a significant escalation in rhetoric ahead of the change in position announced on Monday and reaffirmed on Thursday with the new extension.
Other threats
But it was not the only threat to energy infrastructure. After Trump's ultimatum, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard threatened to attack power plants in the Middle East that supply U.S. bases, as well as economic, industrial, and energy infrastructures that had U.S. interests, if an attack occurred against Iranian facilities.
The Iranian Defense Council warned that a potential ground invasion would lead to the mining of access routes throughout the Persian Gulf.
In that context, the 10-day extension appears as a tactical de-escalation, not as the end of the standoff.
CBS noted this Thursday that, in addition to extending the pause, Trump stated he is not "desperate" to reach an agreement and that Washington has already presented Iran with a 15-point plan for a potential peace proposal, presented by special envoy Steve Witkoff in a cabinet meeting.
The latest coverage also shows that the conflict continues to have direct effects on the markets and regional security.
Oil prices rebounded and stock markets fell following new warnings from Trump to Iranian leaders to accept an agreement "before it's too late."
The dispute over the Strait of Hormuz
The CBS network added that Iran continues to attack Gulf countries and Israel, and that the Strait of Hormuz remained under its effective control at the time of publication.
Another element that Trump used to justify the extension was his claim that Iran allowed the passage of several oil tankers.
The president mentioned at least eight "large oil tankers" and then suggested that there were actually ten in total, although he did not specify either the country of origin of the crude or the final destination of those shipments.
That version was presented by Trump as a sign that Washington is dealing "with the right people."
Despite the optimistic rhetoric from the White House, the Iranian narrative has not been straightforward.
Iran initially denied that there were negotiations with the United States, although later a senior official from the Iranian Foreign Ministry told the network that Tehran had received “points” from Washington through intermediaries and that they were under review.
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