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On Monday, March 23, 2026, in a sudden announcement, US President Donald Trump told the Pentagon (also known as the Department of War) that it had been ordered to delay any and all military attacks on Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure by five days.

On Truth Social, Trump wrote that the move came after two days of positive and constructive talks on completing and fully resolving our enmity between us in the Middle East. He further stated that the negotiation would be taking place during the entire week and that the break was under the condition of how well the meetings and the negotiations were going.

The action is only hours after Trump had foamed at the mouth, giving Iran anything less than a 48-hour ultimatum to open the Strait of Hormuz or be destroyed over its energy infrastructure. Iran has denied any direct negotiations with the US, terming the action of Trump as an effort to control oil prices.

What followed was an immediate response in the market, as Brent crude came out sharply below the hundred-dollar-per-barrel mark, and global inventories recovered. Analysts are more than skeptical because they observe that the pause has a conditional element and that there is the possibility of a fresh escalation in case the negotiations go haywire.