Iranian state-linked media said today that US president Donald Trump postponed threatened strikes on Iranian power facilities under Iranian pressure, rejecting his claim that he ordered a five-day pause after “very good and productive” talks.
State-linked news agency Fars, citing a security source, said there had been no direct or indirect communication with the US and that “Trump backed down after hearing that our targets would be all West Asian power plants”.
Iran’s FARS NEWS quoting a source:
“There is no direct or indirect connection with Trump; Trump backed down after hearing that our targets would be all West Asian power plants.”
This was the only way things would de-escalate. Trump decides on a pullback // Iran claims victory.
— Nader Itayim | نادر ایتیّم (@ncitayim) March 23, 2026
The remark refers to Iran’s threats on Sunday to destroy oil facilities and other critical infrastructure across the Middle East “in an irreversible manner” if the US attacked its power plants.
The Tasnim news agency, which has ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), also quoted a source denying talks and said Iran’s “credible military threat” — and pressure on financial markets — drove the US decision.
🚨 BREAKING
IRAN’S MILITARY SPOKESMAN:
‘If our energy facilities are targeted, we will take out all the gas and oil facilities in the Middle East’ pic.twitter.com/w4HzzbpCHN
— Iran Observer (@IranObserver0) March 12, 2026
“With this kind of psychological warfare, neither the strait of Hormuz will return to its pre-war conditions, nor will there be peace in energy markets,” the source said.
Trump said earlier today that he has postponed threatened strikes on Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure for five days.
In a Truth Social post, he said Washington and Tehran had held “in-depth, detailed and constructive” discussions over the past two days aimed at achieving a “complete and total resolution of our hostilities in the Middle East”. 
He said meetings would continue this week and that the pause depended on the “success of the ongoing meetings and discussions”.
Oil and gas prices fell after Trump’s post. Front-month Ice Brent dropped to an intra-day low of $96/bl, down from $112.19/bl on 20 March. At the TTF hub, the front-month contract fell 17pc in eight minutes to just over €54/MWh at 11:10 GMT, from €62/MWh just after 11:00, before rebounding to €59/MWh at 11:22.
Trump’s move marks a sharp shift from his weekend ultimatum demanding Iran fully reopen the strait of Hormuz within 48 hours or face immediate strikes on its power infrastructure.
Traffic through Hormuz remains heavily restricted. Major US-Israeli strikes on 28 February triggered Iranian retaliatory attacks on ships and energy infrastructure across the Gulf, severely disrupting exports of crude, oil products, LNG, fertilizers and other commodities.
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