- Trump says negotiations with Iran are “going very well.”
- Iranian official rejects US peace proposal, calling it ‘unjust’.
- WSJ quotes the mediators’ words: Iran did not ask for a break.
DUBAI/TEL AVIV/WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump announced he would suspend attacks on Iranian energy plants for 10 days at Tehran’s request and said negotiations with Iran were going “very well”, although an Iranian official rejected a US proposal to end the conflict as “one-sided and unfair”.
The war has killed thousands, spread to neighboring countries and hit the global economy with soaring energy prices since the United States and Israel launched strikes on Feb. 28 after negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear program failed to reach a deal.
On Thursday, Trump threatened during a White House cabinet meeting to increase pressure on Iran if it did not reach a deal, before later posting on social media that he would suspend attacks on Iranian energy plants for 10 days, until April 6, 2026 at 8:00 p.m. EDT (00:00 GMT April 7).
“The talks are underway and, despite erroneous claims to the contrary from the fake media and others, they are going very well,” he added in his Truth Social post.
He later said Fox News’ The Iranians had requested a seven-day break in the “The Five” program. There was no immediate reaction from Tehran.
Iran has not requested a 10-day pause in strikes at its energy plants, the ministry said. The Wall Street Journal mediators of the peace talks were quoted as saying.
Fast drone boats
The war massively disrupted shipping, sending crude oil prices up about 40 percent and causing shipments of liquefied natural gas to Asia to rise by about two-thirds. Prices of nitrogen fertilizers, essential for food production, have increased by about 50%.
Despite Trump’s optimistic assessment, Iran continued to retaliate against US and Israeli strikes by hitting Israel and US bases; it also hit Gulf states and blocked fuel exports from the Middle East through the Strait of Hormuz.
The United States has deployed unmanned drones to conduct patrols as part of its operations against Iran, the Pentagon told Reuters. This is the first time that Washington has confirmed the use of such ships in an active conflict.
Trump said the United States would become the Islamic Republic’s “worst nightmare” if it did not comply with American demands, including opening the strait and ending Tehran’s nuclear program.
He said taking control of Iranian oil was an option, but gave no details.
The Iranian official said Reuters that a 15-point American proposal, transmitted to Tehran by Pakistan, was examined in detail on Wednesday by senior Iranian officials and the representative of the Iranian Supreme Leader.
Although they believed it only served U.S. and Israeli interests, diplomacy had not ended, the official said.
However, the fighting continues to rage.
Iran launched several waves of missiles at Israel on Thursday, hitting Tel Aviv, Haifa and other areas, including a Palestinian city in central Israel.
At least one ballistic missile hit Tel Aviv, according to the Israeli military, while others carried cluster munitions that dispersed smaller explosives, damaging homes and cars.
Israel’s ambulance service said a man was killed in Nahariya after Hezbollah fired a barrage of rockets into the northern town.
In Iran, strikes hit the southern city of Bandar Abbas and a village on the outskirts of the southern city of Shiraz. A university building in Isfahan was reportedly hit.
The Strait of Hormuz, a crucial issue
Trump suggested Thursday that Iran let 10 oil tankers transit the Strait of Hormuz as a gesture of goodwill in negotiations, including some Pakistani-flagged vessels.
The president has sent thousands of troops to the Middle East, some of whom have already arrived, raising hopes of a ground invasion, although details remain scarce.
Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff confirmed that the United States had sent a “15-point action list” as the basis for negotiations to end the war.
It includes demands ranging from dismantling Iran’s nuclear program to reducing its missiles and effectively transferring control of the strait, according to sources and reports.
Pakistan’s foreign minister said “indirect talks” between the United States and Iran were taking place through messages relayed from Islamabad, with other states, including Turkey and Egypt, also supporting mediation efforts.
The negotiations promise to be extremely thorny.
Iran has hardened its stance since the start of the war, demanding guarantees against future military actions, compensation for losses and formal control of the strait, according to Iranian sources.
He also told intermediaries that Lebanon must be included in any ceasefire agreement, regional sources said.
Trump has not identified who the United States is negotiating with in Iran, with many high-ranking officials among the thousands killed in the Middle East war.
