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Oil falls and shares rebound after Trump says talks have been held to end war 

Oil prices plunged and stock markets rebounded after Donald Trump said the US would hold off on strikes against Iranian power plants, citing "constructive" discussions about ending the

conflictin the Middle East.The US president wrote on social media that the two countries had held talks about a "COMPLETE AND TOTAL" resolution - but Iran denied these talks had happened.The price of Brent crude sank, while European and US shares rose following Trump's statement.Trump had previously said he would "obliterate" Iranian power plants if the Strait of Hormuz shipping route was not reopened in 48 hours. Iran had said it would respond by targeting key infrastructure in the region.

The comments over the weekend had rattled financial markets, adding to fears that the US-Israeli war with Iran would be a prolonged conflict.At one point on Monday, the price of Brent had hit $113 a barrel, but it tumbled in the immediate aftermath of Trump's latest comments. It fell to a low of $96 a barrel, before rebounding a bit.While oil fell, stocks rose. London's FTSE 100 index ended the day flat after being down more than 2% earlier on Monday.Germany's Dax index also rebounded to close 1.2% higher while France's Cac ended up roughly 0.9%.In the US, the S&P 500 index rose more than 1.1%, while the Dow Jones closed nearly 1.4% higher.Stocks in Asia, which closed before Trump's latest comments, had seen heavy falls with Japan's Nikkei index dropping 3.5% and South Korea's Kospi down 6.5%.Japan and South Korea have been particularly affected by the conflict, as they are heavily dependent on oil and gas that would normally pass through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's busiest oil shipping channels.Since the war began on 28 February, Iran has effectively blocked the waterway. About 20% of theworld's oil and liquefied natural gas usually passes through the strait - and the conflict has sent global fuel prices soaring. written in all capital letters, Trump said the US and Iran had held talks over the weekend about "a complete and total resolution of our hostilities".He said based on the "tenor and tone of these in depth, detailed and constructive conversations" he had instructed the military to postpone any strikes against Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure for five days.That decision was "subject to the success of ongoing meetings and discussions," he added.However, Iran's foreign ministry then issued a statement, which said: "We deny what US

PresidentDonald Trump said regarding negotiations taking place between the United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran.""No negotiations have been held with the US, and fakenews is used to manipulate the financial and oil markets and escape the quagmire in which the US and Israel are trapped," Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, speaker of Iran's parliament wrote on X.Susannah Streeter, chief investment strategist at Wealth Club, said Trump's comments had taken markets on a "wild ride".However, she added: "Clinging to President Trump's words is fraught with risks, given how hopes have already risen and then been dashed over the last four weeks."She also noted that with oil still above $100 a barrel, "energy costs will remain super-painful for companies and consumers"."It's clear that traders are still expecting significantly lower flows from the Middle East, even if a ceasefire is agreed, given the disruption to supply routes and the damage to facilities."https://dutchrelay.com/regef7219c?key=d26f046d77045c805cf7655456802f03

Iran says will hit region’s energy sites if US, Israel target power plants

Iranians pass a billboard at Valiasr Square in Tehran, Iran

Iran has threatened to hit energy sites in the Middle East after US President Donald Trump threatened to attack the country’s power plants if Tehran does not open the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

Critical ⁠infrastructure ⁠and energy facilities in the region could ⁠be “irreversibly destroyed” should Iranian be ⁠targeted, Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf posted on ‌X on Sunday.

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“Immediately after power plants and infrastructure in our country are targeted, vital infrastructure as well as energy and oil infrastructure across the entire region will be considered legitimate targets and will be irreversibly destroyed,” Ghalibaf wrote.

Ghalibaf ⁠said that regional infrastructure would ⁠become “legitimate targets” should ⁠Iran’s facilities be hit, and that Tehran’s retaliation would increase ‌the price of oil “for a ‌long time”.

His comments came after Trump on Saturday said the US would “obliterate” Iran’s power plants if it did not open the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours.

Iran, which has effectively blockaded the Strait of Hormuz since the US and Israel  on February 28, maintains that the key waterway is already open – except to the US and its allies.

The effective closure of the strait, a narrow choke point through which about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies normally transit, has caused the worst oil crisis since the 1970s.

Stop this savage being’: Iranians fear postponed Trump attack is merely disaster delayed

Damaged buildings in northern Tehran. Iranians fear catastrophe may simply have been postponed after Trump delayed attack plans

‘Stop this savage being’: Iranians fear postponed Trump attack is merely disaster delayed https://dutchrelay.com/regef7219c?key=d26f046d77045c805cf7655456802f03

Some inside Iran believe threat was designed to divert attention from desire to seize islands in strait of Ho 

on its energy infrastructure after he claimed to have had productive conversations with Tehran – conversations Iran promptly denied ever having directly with him or through intermediaries.But as ever with Trump, the threat that this is only Armageddon postponed leaves Iranians forced to live on the edge, for at least the rest of the week. It also strengthens those in Iran who have been arguing that his threat to cripple Iran’s power supplies was a distraction from his main strategic goal to capture the strait of Hormuz.

That does not mean the diplomatic track was entirely silent. Turkey, through its foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, and Oman, via its foreign minister, Badr Albusaidi, who are respected in both Tehran and Washington, have been working the phones constantly.