US President Donald Trump announced a “five-day” halt in attacks on energy targets in Iran, following two days of “in-depth, detailed and constructive conversations” with Tehran.
“I am pleased to report that the United States of America and Iran have had, over the past two days, very good and productive conversations regarding a complete and total resolution of our hostilities in the Middle East,” Trump wrote in Truth.
“Based on the tenor and tone of these in-depth, detailed and constructive conversations, which will continue throughout the week, I have instructed the War Department to postpone all military strikes against Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure for a period of five days, subject to the success of ongoing meetings and discussions,” he added.
Media Iran: “There are no ongoing talks with the US”
The Iranian Fars news agency, citing a source, says there would be no direct or indirect communications with the United States after Donald Trump spoke of “very positive” negotiations. Fars, quoted by Reuters online, also said that Trump had backtracked on the idea of hitting Iranian power plants after Iran threatened to strike power plants across the Middle East.
Gas prices plummet
The price of natural gas in Europe collapses after news of negotiations between Washington and Tehran to end the conflict in the Middle East. At the TTF, futures on the April contract slipped by 6% to 55.7 euros per megawatt hour after having soared to 63 euros in mid-morning.
The price of oil also drops sharply
The price of oil fell sharply after Donald Trump’s words. Brent, with delivery in May, has fallen by up to 10% and is now trading at 103.57 dollars a barrel (-7.4%). The WTI lost 7.63% to 90.68 dollars a barrel.