Trump's claim that US and Iran are talking elicits market cheers and plenty of skepticism [View all]

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump started the fourth week of his war against Iran by offering the world some guarded optimism that the U.S. could soon be winding operations down, a claim that markets cheered but Iranian officials dismissed as a ploy to buy time for a conflict that is causing economic pain around the globe.

In a social media message timed before markets opened, Trump said he was putting off for five days plans he announced over the weekend to bomb Iran’s power plants unless Tehran opened the Strait of Hormuz by Monday evening. The critical passageway for some 20% of the world’s crude has been effectively shuttered during the war, sending oil and gas prices soaring.

He decided to hold back on targeting Iran’s critical infrastructure, Trump explained, because his envoys, son-in-law Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, had “very good” talks over the weekend with unnamed “respected” Iranian officials on ending hostilities.

https://apnews.com/article/trump-iran-talks-objectives-e27ba37004edf6dc241417ad11c87760