{"id":2588099,"date":"2026-04-07T14:51:01","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T18:51:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/will-trump-delay-the-deadline-for-attacks-on-irans-power-plants\/"},"modified":"2026-04-07T14:55:29","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T18:55:29","slug":"will-trump-delay-the-deadline-for-attacks-on-irans-power-plants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/will-trump-delay-the-deadline-for-attacks-on-irans-power-plants\/","title":{"rendered":"Will Trump delay the deadline for attacks on Iran&#8217;s power plants?"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fwill-trump-delay-the-deadline-for-attacks-on-irans-power-plants%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2588099&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The piece analyzes president Donald Trump\u2019s approach to escalating tensions with Iran, focusing on his repeated use of public deadlines to force Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz and accept a peace deal, followed by repeated delays. It portrays a recurring pattern critics dubbed \u201cTACO\u201d &#8211; Trump Always Chickens Out &#8211; in which ultimatums are issued, then postponed as diplomacy quietly progresses or stalls. The article traces a sequence of deadlines from March into April, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/marilyn-manson-denies-evan-rachel-woods-abuse-allegations-gets-dropped-from-record-label\/\" title=\"Marilyn Manson Denies Evan Rachel Wood\u2019s Abuse Allegations, Gets Dropped From Record Label\">including threats<\/a> to attack Iran\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/white-house-releases-list-of-president-trumps-accomplishments-and-it-is-historic\/\" title=\"White House Releases List of ... ...\u2019s Accomplishments \u2013  And It Is Historic!\">power plants<\/a> and energy infrastructure if the Strait of Hormuz isn\u2019t opened, and then successive extensions that defer military action. It notes that Iran denies direct or meaningful talks, while U.S. and <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >israeli actions continue<\/a> against Iranian targets such as energy facilities and air defenses, complicating signals of resolve. Amid the ongoing conflict, officials warn that Iran\u2019s energy grid is a critical pressure point, and the window for de-escalation appears to be narrowing as both sides exchange threats and tentative diplomatic moves.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Will Trump delay the deadline for attacks on Iran&rsquo;s power plants? He&rsquo;s done it four times before<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"4\">Donald Trump<\/a> imposed an 8 p.m. EDT Tuesday deadline for <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/iran\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"100\">Iran<\/a> to agree to a peace deal and open the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/strait-of-hormuz\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"21488\">Strait of Hormuz<\/a>. And if there is no deal, the president threatened &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-warns-iran-of-complete-demolition-ahead-of-deadline\/\" title=\"... ...ns ... of &#039;complete demolition&#039; ahead of ...\">complete demolition&#038;rdquo<\/a>; of Iranian power plants and infrastructure.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>As the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/opinion\/columnists\/4518724\/trump-cut-through-fog-focus-iran-goal\/\">war enters its 38th day<\/a>, a familiar question hangs over Trump&rsquo;s ultimatum: Will he delay again?<\/p>\n<p>The stakes are high. U.S. and <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/israel\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"219\">Israeli<\/a> officials have framed Iran&rsquo;s energy grid, including power plants tied to military and industrial production, as a critical pressure point in the war that began Feb. 28.<\/p>\n<div class=\"tpd-featured-video featured-post-video in-content bridtv\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2553926\" class=\"brid\" style=\"width:1280;height:720;\"> <\/div>\n<div class=\"tpd-featured-video-placeholder\" style=\"position:relative;overflow:hidden;width:100%;padding-top:56.25%;background-color:#000;\">\n<div style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;width:100%;height:100%\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>At the same time, Trump has repeatedly set and then postponed deadlines for potential escalation while also claiming victory in the war. The pattern that has drawn both criticism and feelings of relief, while detractors have dubbed the cycle &ldquo;TACO,&rdquo; shorthand for &ldquo;Trump always chickens out.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Each delay has come at a different stage in the conflict, from early military positioning to sustained strikes and emerging diplomatic efforts, but the pattern has been consistent: a public deadline followed by a pause, often justified by Trump claiming peace talks with Iran have moved forward.<\/p>\n<p>What may be different now is the narrowing window for de-escalation. Iranian officials have continued to deny that peace talks are happening and refused a ceasefire.<\/p>\n<p>At the same time, Trump&rsquo;s repeated delays have <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4518608\/trump-iran-war-messaging-fractures-conservatives\/\">created concern <\/a>that any new deadline could again shift, complicating efforts to signal resolve.<\/p>\n<p>Trump first signaled a potential deadline for expanded strikes on March 21 when he gave Iran <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4499762\/trump-iran-power-plants-strait-of-hormuz-closure\/\">two days to open<\/a> the Strait of Hormuz, a critical <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/oil\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"292\">oil<\/a> transport lane that was closed by Iran at the start of the war. If Iran did not open the strait within 48 hours, the president threatened that U.S. forces &ldquo;will hit and obliterate their various POWER PLANTS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST!&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>At the time, U.S. forces had already destroyed much of Iran&rsquo;s navy and begun strikes on Kharg Island, where much of Iran&rsquo;s oil infrastructure sits.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">(Graphic by Grace Hagerman \/ Washington Examiner)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Two days later, on March 23, Trump <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/foreign-policy\/4500079\/trump-iran-war-power-plants\/\">extended the two-day deadline<\/a> and ordered the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/department-of-defense\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"335\">Department of War<\/a> to hold off on striking Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure.<\/p>\n<p>By then, the U.S. Central Command had reported multiple engagements at sea, and Israeli forces had expanded strikes deeper into Iranian territory. Oil prices had begun to spike, and officials warned that targeting Iran&rsquo;s power grid could trigger retaliatory attacks on energy infrastructure across the region.<\/p>\n<p>Trump then pushed the deadline by five days and said the U.S. and Iran had &ldquo;VERY GOOD AND PRODUCTIVE CONVERSATIONS REGARDING A COMPLETE AND TOTAL RESOLUTION OF OUR HOSTILITIES IN THE MIDDLE EAST.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>It was <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/foreign-policy\/4500149\/trump-steve-witkoff-jared-kushner-iran-war-deal\/\">later revealed <\/a>by Trump that his Middle East special envoy, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/steve-witkoff\/\">Steve Witkoff<\/a>, and Trump&rsquo;s son-in-law, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/jared-kushner\/\">Jared Kushner<\/a>, spoke with their Iranian counterparts the night before strikes were postponed. <\/p>\n<p>At the time, Iranian officials said neither &ldquo;direct or indirect&rdquo; talks had occurred.&nbsp;However, the president added the caveat that the strikes were &ldquo;subject to the success&rdquo; of peace negotiations.<\/p>\n<p>A third delay came on March 26 when Trump said he would delay the strikes on energy infrastructure for an additional 10 days &ldquo;per Iranian Government request.&rdquo;&nbsp;Trump said he chose to push the deadline to April 6 despite Iran only asking for a seven-day extension, and he added that talks for a peace deal were ongoing.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">(Graphic by Grace Hagerman \/ Washington Examiner)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>At the same time, Israel claimed to have killed Iran&rsquo;s naval commander, Alireza Tangsiri, and several other military leaders. Additional U.S.-Israeli strikes continued targeting Iranian air defenses and other military sites.<\/p>\n<p>Trump claimed Iran was &ldquo;begging for a deal,&rdquo; but Tehran continues to deny such claims.<\/p>\n<p>With the time limit looming, Trump at one point signaled that a deal would not end the war, but rather that military operations would end when Iran is no longer capable of building a nuclear weapon.&nbsp;He still left the door open for a deal to be made, saying it was still &ldquo;possible that we&rsquo;ll have a deal because they want to make a deal.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Two days before the April deadline, Trump delayed the timeline again after issuing a number of threats to Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz and agree to a peace deal.<\/p>\n<p>On April 5, Trump posted on Truth Social that April 7 would now be &ldquo;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4518912\/iran-regional-power-grids-damage\/\">power plant<\/a> day,&rdquo; demanding Iran open the strait.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/energy\/4509639\/most-important-energy-assets-iran-war\/\">WHAT ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT ENERGY ASSETS IN THE IRAN WAR<\/a><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/energy\/4509639\/most-important-energy-assets-iran-war\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/energy\/4509639\/most-important-energy-assets-iran-war\/\">?<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The president never explained exactly why he chose to delay the original April 6 deadline by 24 hours, but the move came after the Iranians shot down a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/defense\/4515144\/us-fighter-jet-shot-down-iran\/\">U.S. F-15 fighter jet<\/a> over their airspace, causing two crew members to be left stranded in enemy territory and later rescued.<\/p>\n<p>On Tuesday morning, hours before the 8 p.m. deadline, the U.S. military carried out strikes on Iran&rsquo;s Kharg Island. Following the strikes, the president vowed to follow through on his promise to blow up the country&rsquo;s power plants if it didn&rsquo;t reopen the Strait of Hormuz and come to terms, adding that an <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4518438\/trump-warns-iran-whole-civilization-die-deal-struck\/\">&ldquo;entire civilization will die tonight.&rdquo;<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Here are paraphrase options.<\/p>\n<p>1) Short, general paraphrase (summary, 2-3 sentences)<br \/>\n&#8211; President Trump repeatedly set deadlines for striking Iran\u2019s energy infrastructure, including power plants, and threatened to destroy them if Iran didn\u2019t agree to a peace deal and open the Strait of Hormuz. He has repeatedly delayed those deadlines, often saying talks were progressing, a pattern critics call \u201cTACO\u201d (Trump always chickens out). With Iran denying talks and a shrinking window to de-escalate, the risks of another delay remain, even as the war\u2019s outlines shift with ongoing military and diplomatic moves.<\/p>\n<p>2) 55-character paraphrase (as requested)<br \/>\n&#8211; Trump delays deadline for Iran power-plant strikes<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4130,"featured_media":2588100,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/AP26096664694917.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651,538],"tags":[15402,4551,3823,75757,3634],"class_list":["post-2588099","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","category-washington-examiner","tag-deadline","tag-foreign-policy","tag-iran","tag-military-action-2","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/AP26096664694917.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2588099","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4130"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2588099"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2588099\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2588107,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2588099\/revisions\/2588107"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2588100"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2588099"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2588099"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2588099"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}