"Trump Delays Airstrikes, Middle East Mediation Diplomacy in Play…Informal Talks Took Place"

Informal diplomatic channels involving Middle Eastern countries reportedly played a role in U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to delay airstrikes on Iran for five days. Markets say the situation remains one in which military confrontation and diplomatic negotiations are running in parallel.

According to The Wall Street Journal on the 24th, President Trump reversed his previous stance a day earlier—having said he would strike Iranian power plants—and postponed the airstrikes for five days. The shift is said to have been influenced by informal consultations conducted through Middle Eastern mediators.

The report said the foreign ministers of Egypt, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan met in Riyadh to discuss a diplomatic path to halt the war. During the process, contacts were made with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), laying the groundwork for ceasefire talks, according to people familiar with the matter.

That movement reportedly contributed to Trump’s change in position. He had warned that he would attack Iranian power plants if the Strait of Hormuz was not reopened, but later cited the possibility of negotiations and put military action on hold.

The White House said, “Sensitive diplomatic negotiations are under way and we will not negotiate through the media,” adding, “The situation is fluid and speculation should be restrained until an official announcement.”

Still, skepticism about the prospects for talks is also being raised. Arab officials involved in the mediation were said to have assessed that the gap between the U.S. and Iran remains wide.

Markets are increasingly of the view that, with diplomatic efforts and military tensions unfolding simultaneously, Middle East risk may be difficult to resolve in the near term.