President Donald Trump on Monday (March 23, 2026) hailed “superb” talks with an unidentified Iranian official after abruptly shelving plans for recent assaults, at the same time as Washington’s ally Israel vowed to maintain up strikes on the Islamic republic.
The shock disclosure — denied by Tehran, which accused Mr. Trump of manipulating power markets — got here forward of a Monday (March 23, 2026) night time deadline imposed by Mr. Trump for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz delivery lane or see the US “obliterate” its energy vegetation.
Oil costs fell and inventory markets jumped as observers scrambled to interpret Mr. Trump’s statements regardless of the Iranian denial.
Axios, citing an unnamed Israeli official, recognized Mr. Trump’s interlocutor as Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s speaker of parliament and one in every of its most outstanding non-clerical figures.
The outlet and newswire Reuters reported U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner could meet an Iranian delegation for talks in Pakistan as quickly as this week, with Vice President J.D. Vance probably becoming a member of.
White Home spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt didn’t deny the stories, saying “hypothesis about conferences shouldn’t be deemed as last till they’re formally introduced by the White Home.”
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday (March 23, 2026) mentioned he spoke with Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian, promising Islamabad’s assist bringing peace to the area.
However Mr. Ghalibaf mentioned on X that “no negotiations” have been underway, insisting Mr. Trump was looking for “to govern the monetary and oil markets.”
Iranian Overseas Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei mentioned messages have been acquired from “some pleasant international locations indicating a U.S. request for negotiations aimed toward ending the warfare”, however denied any such talks had taken place, Iran’s official IRNA company reported.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mentioned he had spoken to Mr. Trump and acknowledged the USA thought a deal was attainable, however vowed to proceed hanging Iran and Lebanon to guard Israel.
“Trump believes there’s a probability to leverage the large achievements of the IDF and the US army… in an settlement,” he mentioned.
“On the identical time, we proceed to strike each in Iran and in Lebanon.”
‘Trump blinked’
On a day of whiplash developments, Iran’s neighbours breathed a sigh of aid after Mr. Trump stepped again from his risk to focus on Iranian energy infrastructure.
Tehran had vowed to deploy naval mines and goal energy and water infrastructure throughout the area in retaliation, threatening to escalate an power disaster of already historic proportions.
“Trump blinked first — out of a transparent understanding that hanging Iran’s power infrastructure would set off a direct and vital retaliation,” Danny Citrinowicz, a safety analyst and former Israeli intelligence Iran professional, wrote on X.
Mr. Trump mentioned his administration was holding talks with an unidentified “prime particular person,” however not the nation’s supreme chief, Mojtaba Khamenei, who’s believed to be injured.
He described the person as “very cheap,” whereas warning if talks failed within the subsequent 5 days, “we’ll simply maintain bombing our little hearts out.”
1000’s of U.S. Marines are headed to the Center East, reinforcing America’s presence amid weekend hypothesis that Mr. Trump was mulling floor operations both to grab Iranian oil property or to forcibly reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
‘Main risk’ to financial system
Because the warfare erupted, Tehran has retaliated in opposition to U.S.-Israeli assaults by throttling visitors via the Strait, a conduit for one-fifth of worldwide crude, and by hitting Gulf power websites and U.S. embassies in addition to targets in Israel.
Worldwide Vitality Company chief Fatih Birol warned if the warfare is protracted, each day oil losses would pave the best way for a disaster worse than the mixed impression of each Seventies oil shocks and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Oil costs have been pushed above $100 a barrel by the battle, however they tumbled sharply after Trump’s bulletins, whereas European shares rebounded. Wall Avenue additionally closed up.
Worldwide benchmark Brent crude plunged some 10% to round $100 per barrel.
Mr. Trump mentioned there have been already “main factors of settlement” with the Iranian negotiators.
U.S. circumstances included Iran abandoning any nuclear ambitions and giving up its enriched uranium stockpiles, he mentioned.
Lebanon floor marketing campaign
Mr. Trump has supplied shifting timelines and aims for the warfare, saying on Friday (March 20, 2026) he was contemplating “winding down” the operation — solely to later threaten Iran’s energy vegetation, of which it has greater than 90.
Mr. Netanyahu has spoken of a long-term marketing campaign in opposition to Iran’s authorities, a sponsor of Hamas, which launched the October 7, 2023 assault that triggered the Gaza warfare.
In Lebanon, Israel has expanded its floor marketing campaign in opposition to Iran-backed Hezbollah, warning of “weeks of preventing,” hanging southern Beirut once more Monday and claiming to seize two Hezbollah fighters.
Israel reported a brand new wave of missiles fired from Iran early Tuesday (March 24, 2026).
Israel’s assaults in Lebanon have killed greater than 1,000 individuals and displaced greater than 1,000,000, Lebanon’s Well being Ministry mentioned.
The warfare has killed not less than 3,230 Iranians, together with 1,406 civilians, in keeping with the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists Information Company. AFP can not entry strike websites nor independently confirm tolls in Iran.
Revealed – March 24, 2026 06:47 am IST