Trump Postpones Strike, Citing Talks with Iran
President Donald Trump announced on March 23, 2026, that the United States had engaged in discussions with Iran, leading to a five-day postponement of planned strikes against Iranian facilities. The announcement comes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East and concerns over potential disruptions to global energy supplies.
Trump told reporters that both sides had reached consensus on several key issues. “We’ve had very serious talks. We’re going to witness where it goes. We have some very important points of agreement, I would say almost every point,” he stated. “It may not have been conveyed because, as you know, communication has been destroyed. They couldn’t talk to each other. But we had very good talks, with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner doing the work.”
Trump explained that the discussions, which took place the previous day and continued into the evening, were productive. “They really want to make a deal, and we want to make a deal too. We’re going to deliver it five days and see what happens. If it goes well, we’ll end this with an agreement. But if not, we’ll just go forward and obliterate it,” he said.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump confirmed he had ordered a five-day delay to strikes on Iranian facilities, just hours before a deadline he had set for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz. He stated that negotiations for a resolution to the wider Middle East conflict were progressing positively.
When asked by reporters about who his team had been in contact with, Trump said the U.S. Was speaking with “high-level” individuals within the Iranian regime, but clarified that it was not with the new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei. “No, not the Supreme Leader. In fact, nobody has heard anything about the second Supreme Leader, the son, at all. We haven’t heard from him. Rarely do you see a statement come out, but we don’t hear from him. We don’t even know if he’s alive. But the person who seems to be in charge, and they seem to be the real deal, because what they’re saying is happening,” Trump added.
Trump also indicated that the Strait of Hormuz would reopen soon if negotiations with Iran continued to advance, and expressed a desire for the U.S. And Iran to jointly control the vital waterway.
Iran Denies Negotiations Took Place
However, Iranian state media reported that the Iranian Foreign Ministry stated there had been no negotiations between Iran and the United States. The development underscores growing regional tensions and the difficulty in verifying claims made by both sides.
Iran’s national broadcaster, IRIB, reported that no conversations had taken place between Iran and the U.S., and that Trump’s claims about negotiations were untrue and an attempt to escape his own threats. The report affirmed that Iran’s position regarding the Strait of Hormuz remained unchanged.
The Mehr News Agency of Iran also reported, citing a statement from the Iranian Foreign Ministry, that no discussions were currently underway between Iran and the U.S. The statement alleged that Trump’s claims were intended only to lower energy prices and to buy time to pursue his military plans.
Reports indicated that regional countries were attempting to de-escalate tensions, but that concerns should be directed toward the U.S., which was identified as the initiator of the conflict.
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, posted on X, confirming that no negotiations had taken place with the U.S., calling it “fake news” to manipulate the oil market and adding that the Iranian people demand full retribution against the aggressors.
Iran Warns Against U.S. Attacks During Negotiations
A senior member of the Iranian Parliament cautioned that Iranian officials “need to reckon carefully” before entering into any negotiations with the U.S., citing the U.S.’s recent behavior of attacking Iran while peace talks were underway.
Esmaeil Kosari, a member of the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee of the Iranian Parliament, said, “Here’s not the first time they have lied about negotiations. Trump, Netanyahu, and their allies are inherently liars, and their nature is to create division.”
He added, “Their nature is to create division so that people doubt the authorities and feel that something has been done when nothing has happened.”
China Urges Citizens to Leave Israel
On March 24, the Chinese Embassy in Israel stated that the security situation in the Middle East was continuously deteriorating and that Chinese citizens residing in Israel should not risk their safety and should evacuate or return to China “as soon as possible.”
China’s Xinhua News Agency reported, citing the embassy, that the government was organizing another evacuation mission for Chinese citizens through the Taba border crossing with Egypt.
Xinhua cited the embassy as saying, “The scope, frequency, and intensity of missile and drone attacks on Israel have increased, resulting in more casualties and property damage, including repeated injuries due to the inability to reach shelters in time.”
The embassy also warned Chinese citizens remaining in Israel to “avoid airports, ports, power plants, refineries, and other critical infrastructure, as well as sensitive military sites.”
South Korea Orders Civil Servants to Limit Car Leverage
On March 24, the South Korean government announced it would limit car use by civil servants and extend the period of government-imposed fuel price controls to cope with the impact of the conflict in Iran.
In announcing the measures at a cabinet meeting, President Lee Jae-myong called for national unity to overcome the increasing tensions from the conflict, which he compared to the challenges the country faced during the COVID-19 pandemic and past financial crises.
Civil servants with fuel-powered vehicles will be required to refrain from using their cars at least one day per week, starting March 25. Electric and hydrogen vehicles are exempt.
Previously, South Korea had reinstated fuel price controls, which had been abolished in the 1990s, to control rising costs, and President Lee confirmed that the temporary two-week fuel price controls would be extended.
Japan to Release Some Oil Reserves
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said that Japan would begin releasing some of the country’s oil reserves on March 26 to address concerns about increasing oil supplies.
Kishida said in a post on X that “starting this week, we will begin releasing the nation’s oil reserves” and noted that Japan had already drawn on oil reserves from the private sector last week to secure “the necessary volume for Japan as a whole.”
Nearly 95% of the oil used by Japan passes through the Strait of Hormuz.
Signs of Negotiation, But No Talks Yet
Amid conflicting reports about negotiations between the U.S. And Iran, a senior Iranian Foreign Ministry official told CBS News in the U.S. That “we have received issues from the U.S. Through mediators and are considering them.”
CBS reported that this step “is a preliminary stage before negotiations” and that no negotiations have been confirmed or begun.
This came after President Trump said the U.S. And Iran had negotiated to de-escalate the conflict, but the Iranian Parliament Speaker denied this.
Trump reiterated that the U.S. Could reach an agreement to end the conflict after retracting the threat to bomb Iranian facilities and postponing the strike.
Reports from the Financial Times and Axios indicated that Pakistan may be mediating negotiations to end the conflict in Iran.
In this effort, Pakistan has offered Islamabad as a venue for a meeting of key figures from the U.S. And Iran.
While this has not been officially confirmed by the U.S. Or Iran, many in the U.S. View the selection of Pakistan as unsurprising.
Pakistan maintains close ties with Iran and also enjoyed good relations with the Trump administration during his second term in office.
First EU Nation to Limit Fueling
Slovenia became the first European Union member state to implement measures limiting fuel consumption in response to the U.S. And Israeli attacks on Iran and Iran’s retaliatory actions against allies in the Persian Gulf, a major player in the global energy market.
Several countries are experiencing rising fuel prices. In Slovenia, this has led to what is known as “fuel tourism,” with drivers from neighboring countries, particularly Austria, crossing the border to seize advantage of lower and controlled fuel prices.
Under the new measures, drivers of private cars in Slovenia will be limited to purchasing a maximum of 50 liters of fuel per day, while businesses and farmers will be allowed up to 200 liters.
Under the new government measures, the quantity limits across the country will be enforced by gas stations, with staff required to ensure customers do not purchase more than the permitted amount.
War Will Continue Until Iran is Compensated
On March 23, Mohsen Rezaei, a senior military advisor to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, said in a televised address that the war would continue until Iran was fully compensated for the damages incurred.
Rezaei vowed that Iran would continue to fight until “all economic sanctions are lifted and legally binding international guarantees are obtained to prevent U.S. Interference in Iran.”
He added, “We see our armed forces operating and carrying out activities with strength, and with the new leader, everything is being managed stably.”
The senior advisor claimed that “the war effectively ended” more than a week ago and that “the U.S. Understood that there was no way to win this war,” but that Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister, “pushed to continue.”
Rezaei alleged that after the 15th day of the war, “the U.S. Clearly understood that there was no way to win this war.”
Compiled from Al Jazeera / Associated Press / BBC / CNN / The Guardian
