Trump extends 10-day Iran strike pause, says talks progress

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday (March 26) he would suspend attacks on Iran’s energy plants for 10 days at Tehran’s request, while also saying talks with Iran were progressing well, even though an Iranian official rejected a US proposal to end nearly four weeks of fighting as “one-sided and unfair”.

Trump announced in a Truth Social post shortly after warning during a cabinet meeting at the White House that pressure on Iran would be increased if no deal was reached.

“As per the Iranian Government request ... I am pausing the period of Energy Plant destruction by 10 Days to Monday, April 6, 2026, at 8pm, Eastern Time,” Trump said in the post.

“Talks are ongoing and, despite erroneous statements to the contrary by the Fake News Media and others, they are going very well,” he said.

The conflict, now nearing its fourth week, has badly disrupted shipping, driven crude oil prices up by nearly 40%, caused a surge of almost 67% in shipments of liquefied natural gas to Asia, and pushed prices of nitrogen-based fertilisers, which are critical to food production, up by nearly 50%.

Despite Trump’s optimistic tone, Iran continued retaliating against US and Israeli strikes by attacking Israel and U.S. bases. It also hit Gulf states and effectively blocked Middle East fuel exports through the Strait of Hormuz.

During the White House cabinet meeting, Trump said the United States would become the Islamic Republic’s “worst nightmare” if it did not comply with US demands, including reopening the strait and ending Tehran’s nuclear programme. He also said taking control of Iran’s oil remained an option, though he gave no further details.

Trump said during the White House cabinet meeting: “They now have the chance, that is Iran, to abandon their nuclear ambitions permanently and to join a new path forward.”

“We'll see if they want to do it. If they don't, we're their worst nightmare. In the meantime, we'll just keep blowing them away.”

An Iranian official told Reuters that a 15-point US proposal, delivered to Tehran through Pakistan, was reviewed in detail on Wednesday by senior Iranian officials and the representative of Iran’s supreme leader. Although they believed the proposal served only US and Israeli interests, the official said diplomacy had not ended.

Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, confirmed that Washington had sent a “15-point action list” as a basis for negotiations to end the war. According to sources and reports, it includes demands ranging from dismantling Iran’s nuclear programme to curbing its missiles and effectively handing over control of the strait.

Pakistan’s foreign minister said “indirect talks” between the US and Iran were taking place through messages relayed by Islamabad, while other countries, including Turkey and Egypt, were also supporting mediation efforts.

Even if talks were to take place, they would likely be extremely difficult given the positions set out by both sides. Iranian sources said Tehran had hardened its stance since the war began, demanding guarantees against future military action, compensation for losses, and formal control of the strait.

Regional sources said Iran had also told intermediaries that Lebanon must be included in any ceasefire deal.

Trump has not identified with whom the United States is negotiating in Iran, with many high-ranking officials among the thousands of people killed in the war across the Middle East.

A Pakistani source with knowledge of the discussions told Reuters that Israel removed Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf from its hit list after Pakistan urged Washington to press Israel not to target them. An Israeli military spokesperson declined to comment.

Trump suggested on Thursday that Iran let 10 oil tankers transit the Strait of Hormuz as a goodwill gesture in negotiations, including some Pakistan-flagged vessels.

The president has sent thousands of troops to the Middle East, some of whom have already arrived, driving expectations of a ground invasion, although details remain scant.

A note seen by Reuters on Tuesday to the United Nations from Iran said “non-hostile vessels” could transit the strait if they coordinated with Iranian authorities.

A Thai oil tanker has passed through the strait following diplomatic coordination with Iran, and Malaysia said its vessels were also being allowed to transit, in a sign that restrictions were loosening for some countries. Iran would be receptive to any request from Spain related to the strait, its embassy in Madrid said, in the first such offer to an EU state.

One former senior US official said Iran, whose leadership apparatus had been shattered by the war, likely felt it needed to inflict more pain to deter future attacks.

“We're a long way from an actual potential, real negotiation with the Iranians at this stage,” the former official said, adding that Trump would need to decide soon whether to use force to open the Strait.

Oil had jumped to $108 a barrel on Thursday, and stock markets fell on renewed pessimism over ceasefire prospects as global plastics, technology, retail and tourism struggled with the impact. But Trump’s social media post buoyed the dollar late in the day.

On Thursday, Iran launched multiple waves of missiles at Israel, striking Tel Aviv, Haifa and other areas, including a Palestinian town in central Israel.

At least one ballistic missile hit Tel Aviv, according to Israel’s 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 rocket barrage at the northern city.

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 reported to have been hit.

US and Israeli officials said Israel had killed the naval commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, and that it had many more targets left as it degraded Iranian capabilities.

Reuters