Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi pledged his country will “exact HEAVY price” after he said the Israeli military violated the Trump administration’s pause on strikes against Iranian energy infrastructure.
“Israel has hit 2 of Iran’s largest steel factories, a power plant and civilian nuclear sites among other infrastructure. Israel claims it acted in coordination with the U.S.,” Araghchi wrote Friday on social platform X.
Araghchi added that the attack “contradicts POTUS extended deadline for diplomacy,” referencing President Trump’s decision Thursday to extend a pause on targeting Iranian energy infrastructure. The pause was initially set to last only five days.
“As per Iranian Government request, please let this statement serve to represent that I am pausing the period of Energy Plant destruction by 10 Days to Monday, April 6, 2026, at 8 P.M., Eastern Time,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.
In making the announcement, he said talks between the U.S. and Iran were “going very well.”
Trump adviser Steve Witkoff said Thursday that the U.S. had sent over a 15-point “action list” to Tehran through Pakistani officials this week, calling the talks “strong and productive.” Iranian officials responded to this proposed plan with several demands of their own.
The president also revealed Thursday that Iranian officials permitted 10 oil-carrying ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz as a “present” to the U.S. A fifth of the world’s oil flows through this waterway, and Iranian counterstrikes on U.S. military bases and energy infrastructure in the region have effectively halted the flow of barrels through this passage.
International benchmark Brent crude was trading at about $113.7 per barrel Friday afternoon, while the U.S. benchmark West Texas Intermediate was trading just less than $100 per barrel.
The Trump administration is under pressure to bring down rising costs for American consumers. The average rate of standard gas in the U.S. was up to $3.98 per gallon Friday, almost exactly a dollar increase from a month ago.
Trump has moved to temporarily lift sanctions on Russian, Venezuelan and Iranian oil already at sea to offset these rising costs. Additionally, his administration has looked to boost domestic oil production and tapped the U.S.’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
The Hill has reached out to the White House for comment.
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