US to continue Iran strikes, energy sites pause temporary

WorldPolitics
24 Mar 2026 • 3:45 PM MYT
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The US will continue military strikes on Iran, with a five-day pause applying only to energy targets, as officials describe “productive” talks.

WASHINGTON: The United States will continue military strikes against Iran, with a temporary pause applying only to attacks on Tehran’s energy infrastructure.

This clarification came from a US official speaking to Semafor on Monday, during what President Donald Trump described as “productive” talks with Iranian officials.

Earlier on Monday, Trump had postponed for five days a plan to strike Iran’s power plants and energy infrastructure.

Iran later denied that it had engaged in any negotiations with the United States.

“The stop on attacks for five days is only on their energy sites,” a US official told Semafor.

“It is not on the military sites and the navy, and the ballistic missiles, and the defense industrial base. The initial initiatives of (Operation) Epic Fury will continue,” the official said.

Reuters could not immediately verify the report.

The White House, the US State Department and the Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside regular business hours.

The Semafor report also noted that Israel was not a party to Washington’s talks with Tehran.