US President Donald Trump pushes back deadline for strikes on Iran’s energy assets to April 6, citing Tehran’s request and progress in talks.
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump has extended his deadline for potential US strikes on Iran’s energy assets to April 6.
Trump announced the new deadline, stating the move followed a request from Tehran and that talks to end the conflict were “going very well”.
He had initially given Iran 48 hours last Saturday to open the Strait of Hormuz to oil tankers, threatening to destroy its power plants.
“As per Iranian Government request… I am pausing the period of Energy Plant destruction by 10 Days to Monday, April 6, 2026, at 8 P.M., Eastern Time,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff told a cabinet meeting of “strong signs” Tehran was ready to negotiate.
Witkoff confirmed Washington had passed a 15-point “action list” to Iran through Pakistani officials.
“We will see where things lead, and if we can convince Iran that this is the inflection point with no good alternatives for them, other than more death and destruction,” Witkoff said.
Trump claimed Iran had allowed 10 oil tankers passage through the Strait of Hormuz to show seriousness about talks.
The Iranian news agency Tasnim reported Tehran had sent its official response to the US proposals through intermediaries.
Citing an unnamed official, Tasnim said Iran’s reply demanded an end to US and Israeli attacks on Iran and its regional allies like Hezbollah.
It also called for war reparations and respect for Iran’s “sovereignty” over the Strait of Hormuz.
These conditions appear to far exceed the scope of the initial US plan.
The war, now in its fourth week, began with US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran on February 28.
Iran has retaliated with drone and missile launches across the Gulf and a de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
During a White House meeting, Trump alternated between threats to “obliterate” Iran and claims it was near capitulation.
“They want to make a deal. The reason they want to make a deal is they have been just beat to shit,” he said.
Trump also suggested the US might take control of Iran’s oil, comparing it to the deal made with Venezuela.
Meanwhile, Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid warned the war was taking too high a toll on the military.
“The IDF is stretched to the limit and beyond. The government is leaving the army wounded out on the battlefield,” Lapid said.
He echoed a warning from military chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir a day earlier.
“The government is sending the army into a multi-front war without a strategy, without the necessary means, and with far too few soldiers,” Lapid added.
Israeli military spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin said more combat soldiers were needed for operations in Lebanon.
Iran was hit by a new wave of Israeli strikes, with Israel claiming it “eliminated” Alireza Tangsiri, navy commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards.
An AFP reporter in Tehran heard warplanes and explosions, while Iranian media reported attacks in Isfahan, Shiraz, Bandar Abbas, Tabriz, Mashhad and Birjand.
Lebanese media reported an Israeli strike hit Beirut’s southern suburbs early Friday.
Lebanon said it would complain to the UN Security Council over Israeli attacks on its “sovereignty”.
In the UAE, two people were killed by debris from an intercepted Iranian ballistic missile near Abu Dhabi.
Drones were also fired at Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
