US to continue Iran strikes with limited pause on energy sites, Semafor reports

WEB DESK: Washington will continue its military campaign against Iran, with a five-day halt on attacks applying solely to the country’s energy infrastructure, according to a report citing a US official.

The clarification came hours after President Donald Trump announced he had postponed strikes on Iranian power plants and energy sites, describing ongoing contacts with Tehran as “productive”.

Iran has firmly rejected any suggestion of negotiations, with officials dismissing Mr Trump’s claims as “fake news”, according to Reuters.

Strikes to target military assets

A senior US official told the news outlet Semafor that the temporary pause was narrowly confined. “The stop on attacks for five days is only on their energy sites,” the official said. “It is not on the military sites and the navy, and the ballistic missiles, and the defence industrial base. The initial initiatives of Operation Epic Fury will continue.”

The broader US operation, dubbed Operation Epic Fury, has already involved strikes on Iranian missile capabilities, naval forces and other military targets.

Israel, which has been conducting its own actions against Iran, is not directly involved in the reported US-Iranian discussions, though it is being kept informed, the report added.

Earlier on Monday, Trump said he had instructed the US military to delay any assault on Iran’s power grid and energy facilities for five days while talks continued. Markets reacted positively to the news, with oil prices falling sharply before partially recovering after Iran’s denial.

Tehran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, stated bluntly that “no negotiations have been held with the US”, while the foreign ministry described reports of contacts as an attempt to distract from difficulties facing Washington and its allies.

Reuters was unable to immediately verify the Semafor account, and neither the White House nor the Pentagon responded to requests for comment outside normal business hours.

The developments come amid heightened tensions in the Middle East, with Iran continuing to launch missile barrages towards Israel even as the US maintains pressure on Tehran’s military apparatus.