US President Donald Trump has slammed the brakes on a looming military strike against Iran, announcing a five-day pause after what he called “very good and productive conversations.”
The decision comes just hours after Tehran issued a warning, saying, “attack our power plants, and we shut down the Strait of Hormuz.”
Trump had earlier issued a 48-hour ultimatum threatening to bomb Iran’s energy infrastructure, “starting with the biggest one first”, but pulled back at the last minute as tensions hit boiling point.
Global markets reacted instantly, with oil prices crashing by over 13 percent after fears of a full-blown conflict eased.
Just days earlier, prices had surged past $100 per barrel amid escalating attacks on oil vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
Despite the pause, the war rhetoric remains intense.
Iran’s powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps issued a chilling threat, warning that companies tied to US interests would be “completely destroyed” if Iranian facilities were hit.
The IRGC also declared that “power plants of regional countries hosting US bases will be legitimate targets for us”, raising the stakes across the Middle East.
