Trump announces 'very good' talks with Iran

President Donald Trump shelved plans on Monday to attack Iran's power plants in a stunning about-turn sparked by what he said were 'very good' talks with unidentified Iranian officials to bring an end to the war.
The reversal came ahead of a Monday night ultimatum for the Islamic republic to reopen the Strait of Hormuz shipping lane - or see Trump 'obliterate' its power plants.
In another development, Sayyid Badr bin Hamad al Busaidy, Foreign Minister, said that the Sultanate of Oman is making intensive efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz.
The foreign minister noted that the war in the region has caused widespread economic issues which will be even worse if the war continues.
With observers scrambling to interpret the latest statements from Trump, oil prices fell and stock markets jumped, even though Iran denied that any talks were under way.
Trump said his administration was discussing with an unidentified 'top person', but not the country's supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei.
'We've wiped out the leadership phase one, phase two, and largely phase three. But we're dealing with the man who I believe is the most respected and the leader,' Trump told reporters in Florida.

He described the individual as 'very reasonable,' while warning that if the talks failed, 'we'll just keep bombing our little hearts out.'
In Iran, media outlets quoted the foreign ministry denying any talks and suggesting Trump was angling to bring down energy prices sent soaring by the war - with no mention of his claim on state television's latest news bulletin.
In a post on his Truth Social site, Trump said he had told the Pentagon to 'postpone any and all military strikes against Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure for a five day period, subject to the success of the ongoing meetings.'
Trump's threat to bomb Iran's power infrastructure had raised fears of a major escalation that could have seen the conflict expand again.
In response, Iran had threatened to target power plants across the region - ramping up its rhetoric after warnings the world faced an energy crisis of historic proportions if the war drags on.
Tehran has retaliated against US-Israeli attacks by throttling traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, conduit for a fifth of global crude.
The head of the International Energy Agency Fatih Birol warned overnight that, in the event of a protracted war, daily oil losses put the world on track for a crisis worse than the combined impact of both 1970s oil shocks and Russia's war on Ukraine.
Oil prices have been driven above $100 a barrel by the conflict - and they tumbled sharply after Trump's announcements, while European stocks rebounded.
'I welcome the talks reported between the US and Iran,' British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told a parliamentary committee, adding the UK was 'aware' discussions were happening. SEE ALSO P5 & 6