Trump Pauses Iran Strikes, Diplomacy Talks Underway

0:00On March 23, President Donald Trump announced the five-day pause on planned military strikes against Iranian power plants and energy sites. He stressed that the United States is focused on reaching a deal with Iran through diplomacy. Speaking to reporters, Trump said talks are underway in that Iran wants an agreement. His middle-east end voice, Steve Whitkoff and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, held discussions Sunday evening with what Trump called respected Iranian, representatives. The conversations reportedly continued into Monday. Trump shared on social media that the talks were very good and productive toward resolving hostilities in the Middle East. Iranian state media pushed back hard, denying any direct or indirect negotiations with the United States. A senior security official called it psychological warfare and said no deal would ease tensions in the strait of hormones or stabilize energy markets. Iran's parliament speaker, Muhammad Bakr Kalibov, warned that attacks on key infrastructure in the Persian Gulf could lead to irreversible destruction.

1:02Media reports noted Trump telling anchors that Iran badly wants a deal. For now, the pause holds as both sides trade conflicting messages, leaving the door open for possible breakthroughs or further escalation in the mail.