On March 26, US President Donald Trump postponed the deadline for attacking Iranian energy facilities, and extended it for another 10 days, citing the reason that the exchanges "are going very well".
This move marks the second time this week that Washington has delayed military action that Mr. Trump himself had previously declared would "eliminate" Tehran's power grid.
Previously, last weekend, Mr. Trump threatened to attack if Iran does not fully reopen the transportation route through the Strait of Hormuz - a global energy artery. However, after Tehran warned it would respond by targeting energy facilities in the region, the White House postponed the deadline by 5 days, citing "effective" exchanges.
By March 26, Mr. Trump continued to extend for another 10 days, until 8 pm on Monday, April 6, 2026 (US East Coast time). On the social network Truth Social, he wrote that the delay was made "at the request of the Iranian government", while affirming that the exchanges "are going very well, despite false information from the media".
However, Iran immediately denied this information. Tehran affirmed that there was no direct negotiation with Washington, completely contrary to the statement from the US that Iranian leaders are "very keen to reach an agreement" but dare not make it public.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi emphasized that the mediation of messages by intermediaries cannot be considered negotiation. Previously, the Foreign Ministers of Pakistan, Turkey and Egypt had confirmed that they were playing a role in conveying messages between the two sides.
Meanwhile, Mr. Trump continued to make attention-grabbing statements. In an interview with Fox News, he said that Iran had "very politely" offered to extend the time, initially 7 days, but he decided to "give 10 days".
I said: I will give 10 days, because they gave me a ship," Trump said, referring to Iran's permission for oil tankers to pass through the Strait of Hormuz as a gesture of goodwill.
Earlier the same day, the US leader also declared that Iran had "gifted" 10 large oil tankers. However, Tehran completely denied it, affirming that this strategic maritime route is always open to ships not belonging to "hostile countries".
Conflicting developments show that the US-Iran confrontation is entering a phase that is both tense and unpredictable. The continuous extension of the attack deadline reflects efforts to maintain the channel of dialogue, but tough statements from both sides also show that the risk of escalation is still present, especially at the hotspot of the Strait of Hormuz - which dominates most of the global energy flow.
