Trump postpones strikes on Iranian energy facilities again; April 6th becomes the next focus.

PANews reported on March 27 that, according to Jinshi, Trump announced a 10-day pause in the planned strikes against Iranian energy infrastructure, postponing them to 8 p.m. Eastern Time on April 6. Eamonn Sheridan, an analyst at the US financial website InvestingLive, stated that this move indicates diplomatic engagement is still progressing actively. Trump stated that negotiations with Iran are ongoing and progressing well, providing a window of opportunity to de-escalate tensions in the Middle East. This decision effectively postpones what the market had feared was a major escalation of the Iranian energy sector, offering a short respite to the global energy market, particularly the oil market. By postponing the action, Washington appears to be testing whether a breakthrough can be achieved through secret channels or mediated negotiations, or at least preventing further escalation of the situation. However, the set deadline indicates that risks remain high. The April 6 deadline has now become the focus of market attention, effectively acting as a binary catalyst: either diplomatic progress extends the pause or a framework agreement is reached; or negotiations fail, and tensions escalate sharply. Importantly, this does not indicate a shift in its fundamental strategy. The United States retains the option to resume strikes, while Iran has previously warned that it would retaliate if attacked. Therefore, the broader geopolitical context remains fragile.

Furthermore, according to the Wall Street Journal, mediators involved in the peace talks revealed that Iran did not demand that the United States suspend its strikes on its energy facilities, nor did it give a final response to the 15-point plan to end the war.