US President Donald Trump said he would extend a pause on strikes targeting Iranian energy facilities until April 6, posting on Truth Social that the delay followed a request from the Iranian government and that talks were “ongoing” and “going very well.” The move follows an earlier ultimatum in which Trump warned he would bomb Iran’s energy infrastructure unless Tehran allowed ships to transit the Strait of Hormuz; that deadline has been pushed back twice.
The extension came as international diplomatic and military discussions intensified over securing shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint through which roughly 20% of global oil typically flows. France said 35 countries joined a videoconference of defence chiefs focused on how to reopen the lane “once the intensity of hostilities has sufficiently decreased,” including possible strictly defensive escort missions for commercial vessels. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said reopening Hormuz was in the interest of G7 nations as he prepared to attend foreign ministers’ talks near Paris.
Spain drew a public response from Tehran after the Iranian embassy in Madrid said Iran would be receptive to any Spanish request related to Hormuz, highlighting Madrid’s stance against the US-Israeli campaign. Meanwhile, US special envoy Steve Witkoff said Washington had sent Iran a 15-point “action list” via intermediaries in Pakistan and indicated a “strong possibility” of a deal if Iran could be convinced this was an inflection point with no good alternatives.
At the White House Cabinet meeting, Trump said Iran was “begging” to make a deal but added he was not sure the US was “willing” to do one, and suggested Tehran should already have accepted terms weeks earlier. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth portrayed the US campaign as decisive, saying Iran’s military had been rapidly neutralised and describing the conflict as “success” with clear objectives: no nuclear program, no navy, and dismantling of missile and defence industrial capabilities.
On the battlefield, Admiral Brad Cooper, head of US Central Command, hailed an Israeli strike that Israel said killed Iranian naval commander Alireza Tangsiri, saying the death had put Iran’s navy on a path toward “irreversible decline.” US and Israeli strikes, Cooper said, had destroyed many larger Iranian vessels and degraded the navy’s ability to project power, though Iran retains smaller boats, coastal anti-ship missiles and mine-laying capabilities that could still impede transits. Iran has not publicly acknowledged Tangsiri’s death.
The war has had regional repercussions. Airstrikes hit a building in Beirut’s southern suburbs early Friday, with thick smoke reported; Lebanon, drawn into the wider conflict after Hezbollah began rocket attacks following the killing of Iran’s supreme leader in an Israeli-US strike on February 28, has seen heavy casualties and displacement. Lebanese authorities say at least 1,116 people have been killed since March 2, including 121 children, and more than one million people have been displaced.
European and transatlantic responses have been mixed. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte defended the 32-member alliance amid criticism from Trump for not backing the US-Israeli campaign, saying over 30 countries had committed to talks to keep sea lanes open. EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas accused Russia of helping Iran by providing intelligence and drones used to target US personnel and bases, urging greater pressure on Moscow if Washington wants the Middle East attacks to stop.
Amid concerns the Iran war could affect other conflicts, Ukraine said it had “no indication” that the US plans to divert weapons destined for Kyiv to the Middle East, responding to reports Washington might reallocate arms. Germany’s president publicly condemned the US-Israeli action in Iran as a violation of international law; Trump called that characterization inappropriate during a Cabinet briefing.
As diplomatic channels remain active, US officials say intermediary countries are passing messages and progress has been made, but the situation remains fragile: the Strait of Hormuz is effectively disrupted, major military strikes continue to shape regional balance, and leaders publicly debate whether negotiations or further military pressure will define the coming weeks.