President Donald Trump of the United States has decided to extend his deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz by an additional five days, highlighting positive developments in discussions between the two nations.

As the original 48-hour deadline approached its final 12 hours on Monday night (AEDT), Trump announced that the past two days had seen “very good and productive conversations regarding a complete and total resolution of our hostilities in the Middle East.”

In a bold statement on Truth Social, Trump stated, “Based on the tenor and tone of these in-depth, detailed, and constructive conversations, which will continue throughout the week, I have instructed the Department of War to postpone any and all military strikes against Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure for a five-day period, contingent on the success of the ongoing meetings and discussions.”

He further remarked that Iran has the power to end the conflict immediately, emphasizing, “They could stop this war right now, absolutely, if they chose to do so. They need to stop putting the wonderful Iranian people at risk by firing missiles and drones from inside populated areas. They must immediately cease attacking civilians throughout the Middle East region.”

According to Iran’s health ministry, the conflict has resulted in more than 1,500 Iranian casualties. In Israel, 15 individuals have lost their lives due to Iranian strikes. Additionally, strikes have claimed the lives of more than a dozen civilians in the occupied West Bank and Gulf Arab states.

In Lebanon, officials report that Israeli strikes on Iran-linked Hezbollah militia have led to over 1,000 deaths and displaced over 1 million people. Meanwhile, Hezbollah has launched hundreds of rockets into Israel.

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