In a social media post, President Trump said this morning he has instructed the Pentagon to postpone all airstrikes against Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure for a five-day period, claiming on Truth Social that Iran and the U.S. have had “very good and productive conversations regarding a complete and total resolution of our hostilities in the Middle East.” This comes after Trump warned Saturday night he would “obliterate” Iranian power plants if the Strait of Hormuz was not fully opened within 48 hours. Iran responded by warning it would destroy essential infrastructure including water systems across the region if Trump followed through on his threat. In Israel, nearly 200 people were injured by Iranian strikes on Dimona, home to Israel’s main nuclear facility, and the nearby city of Arad on Saturday, after Israeli air defenses failed to intercept at least two ballistic missiles. Iranian state media said the missiles were fired in retaliation for an Israeli attack on an Iranian nuclear facility in Natanz. Iran also launched two 4,000-kilometer-range ballistic missiles at the joint U.S.-British military base on the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia on Saturday. According to the Israeli military, it was the “first time” Iran had used long‑range missiles in the conflict. The Israeli military said on Monday it had begun strikes targeting infrastructure in Tehran. Iran, meanwhile, vowed to lay sea mines to block the entire Persian Gulf if its coasts or islands are attacked. This comes as the International Energy Agency announced earlier this month that it was releasing 400 million barrels of crude oil — the largest in its history — in order to stabilize global oil prices. On Sunday, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent tried to clarify President Trump’s shifting messages on the war in an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

Kristen Welker: “Just to put a fine point on this, though, is the president in the process of winding down this war or escalating the conflict?”

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent: “Again, they’re not mutually exclusive. Sometimes you have to escalate to deescalate, Kristen.”