Trump Extends Iran Strike Pause, Warns Leaders to Deal Before It Is Too Late

Writing on Truth Social, Trump announced he was "pausing the period of Energy Plant destruction by 10 Days to Monday, April 6, 2026, at 8 P.M., Eastern Time" — a move he framed not as diplomacy from a position of weakness, but as a concession Iran had specifically requested. Trump made clear he is not "desperate" to make a deal, yet simultaneously issued a stern new warning for Iran's leaders to agree to terms "before it is too late."

At the White House Cabinet meeting Thursday, special envoy Steve Witkoff confirmed that the U.S. had presented Iran, through Pakistan as an intermediary, a 15-point plan for a potential peace proposal. "I can report to you today that we have, along with your foreign policy team, presented a 15-point action list that forms the framework for a peace deal," Witkoff said. "This has been circulated through the Pakistani government acting as the mediator."

Witkoff said the proposal had "resulted in strong and positive messaging and talks" but noted that Trump had directed negotiators to "maintain confidentiality on the specific terms and not negotiate through the news media, as others do." The contents of the 15 points have not been made public. Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar confirmed on X that his country is serving as an intermediary, saying the 15-point plan is "being deliberated upon by Iran." Dar also noted that Turkey and Egypt were "extending their support to this initiative."

Witkoff said Iran is "looking for an off ramp" following the president's threats, and closed with a direct message to Tehran: "Finally, we have told Iran one last thing — don't miscalculate again."

At the start of the Cabinet meeting, Trump dismissed reports that he was the one seeking to end the war through diplomacy, saying it was Iran that had moved to restart talks. "They are begging to work out a deal," Trump argued. He also teased that taking Iran's oil is "an option," but added: "I mean I wouldn't talk about it."

Trump said he wasn't sure if he would hold Iran to a separate Friday deadline he had set to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The previous pause on energy strikes was set to expire on Friday, and Trump's Truth Social extension came shortly after markets closed. When pressed on whether his team would advise him to hold the line, Trump deferred: "I don't know yet. I don't know. Mr. Witkoff and JD and Jared will tell me whether or not they think it's going along, and if it's not going along, maybe not."

Oil prices were back up and stock markets fell in reaction to Trump's remarks. Brent crude climbed 4.8% to settle at $101.89 a barrel, up from roughly $70 before the war began. The humanitarian toll of the Strait's closure is mounting: the International Maritime Organization says some 20,000 seafarers are stranded in the Persian Gulf, "facing mental strain, fatigue and decreasing supplies."

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, when asked whether he would call on G7 nations to help reopen the strait, said "it's in their interest to help," noting that "the other countries get far more of their fuel from there than we do."

Witkoff told Cabinet members, "If we can convince Iran that this is the inflection point with no good alternatives for them, other than more death and destruction, we have strong signs that this is a possibility." Whether Tehran agrees before April 6 will determine whether Trump's pause becomes a turning point or a countdown.