- Trump says talks with Iran are “going very well.”
- Iranian official calls US peace proposal “unfair.”
- WSJ quotes mediators as saying: Iran has not asked for a pause.
DUBAI/TEL AVIV/WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump announced he will suspend attacks on Iran’s power plants for 10 days at Tehran’s request and said talks with Iran were going “very well,” although an Iranian official dismissed a U.S. proposal to end the conflict as “unilateral and unfair.”
The war has killed thousands of people, spread to neighboring nations and hit the global economy with skyrocketing energy prices since the United States and Israel launched attacks on Feb. 28 after talks on 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 there was no deal, before posting on social media that he would suspend attacks on Iranian power plants for 10 days until April 6, 2026 at 2000 EDT (0000 GMT April 7).
“Conversations are ongoing and despite misstatements to the contrary by fake news outlets and others, they are going very well,” he added in his Truth Social post.
Later he told her Fox News “The Five” program in which the Iranians had asked for a seven-day pause. There was no immediate reaction from Tehran.
Iran has not asked for a 10-day pause in attacks on its power plants, he said. Wall Street Journal he quoted peace talks mediators as saying.
Drone speed boats
The war has greatly disrupted shipping, sending crude oil prices up about 40% and causing shipments of liquefied natural gas to Asia to rise by about two-thirds. Prices of nitrogen-based fertilizers, essential for food production, have increased by around 50%.
Despite Trump’s optimistic assessment, Iran continued to retaliate against US and Israeli attacks by attacking Israel and US bases; It also affected the Gulf states and effectively blocked fuel exports from the Middle East through the Strait of Hormuz.
The United States has deployed unmanned fast boats for patrol as part of its operations against Iran, the Pentagon told Reuters, the first time Washington has confirmed the use of such vessels in an active conflict.
Trump said the United States would become the Islamic Republic’s “worst nightmare” if it did not meet its demands, which include opening the strait and ending Tehran’s nuclear program.
He said taking control of Iran’s oil was an option, but gave no details.
The Iranian official said Reuters that a 15-point US proposal, conveyed to Tehran by Pakistan, was reviewed in detail on Wednesday by senior Iranian officials and the representative of Iran’s supreme leader.
While they felt it only served American and Israeli interests, the diplomacy was not over, the official said.
However, the fighting continued furiously.
On Thursday, Iran launched multiple waves of missiles at Israel, 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 died in Nahariya after Hezbollah fired a rocket at the northern city.
In Iran, the strikes hit the southern city of Bandar Abbas and a village outside the southern city of Shiraz. A university building in Isfahan was reported to have been hit.
The Strait of Hormuz is a crucial issue
Trump suggested Thursday that Iran allow 10 oil tankers to transit the Strait of Hormuz as a gesture of goodwill in negotiations, including some Pakistan-flagged vessels.
The president has sent thousands of troops to the Middle East, some of which have already arrived, raising expectations of a ground invasion, although details remain scarce.
Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff confirmed that the US had sent a “15-point list of actions” as a basis for negotiations to end the war.
It includes demands ranging from dismantling Iran’s nuclear program to curbing its missiles and effectively handing over control of the strait, according to sources and reports.
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister said that “indirect talks” were taking place between the United States and Iran through messages conveyed by Islamabad, and that other states, including Turkey and Egypt, were also supporting mediation efforts.
Any conversation seems to be extremely thorny.
Iran has hardened its stance since the war began, demanding guarantees against future military action, compensation for losses and formal control of the strait, Iranian sources say.
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, where many high-ranking officials are among the thousands killed in the war across the Middle East.
