U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he was pausing strikes on Iran’s energy plants for 10 days at Tehran’s request, adding that talks were going well. “As per the Iranian government’s request, please let this statement serve to represent that I am pausing the period of energy plant destruction for 10 days, until Monday, April 6, 2026, at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time,” he said in a post on Truth Social. “Talks are ongoing and, despite erroneous statements to the contrary by the fake news media and others, they are going very well,” he added. Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump appears to be leaning toward ordering a major ground operation against Iran, The Times of Israel reported, citing an official from a country mediating between Washington and Tehran. The U.S. reportedly recognizes that Tehran is unlikely to agree to the concessions outlined in Washington’s 15-point plan and has dispatched thousands of troops to the region to capture Iran’s Kharg Island on Trump’s orders, the report said, citing the official. The report also cited a second official from a mediating country as warning that while U.S. forces may be able to capture the island, holding it would likely require significantly more troops and a longer campaign than the four-to-six-week timeframe publicly suggested by Washington. Israel’s military said on Thursday that its air force carried out around 20 waves of strikes over the past 24 hours targeting Iranian military infrastructure in western Iran. The military said the strikes hit dozens of sites, including locations in Kermanshah and Dezful. It added that about 70 munitions were used to target facilities involved in the storage and launch of ballistic missiles, as well as air defense systems. Iran’s Parliament Speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said the country would continue fighting until it breaks what he described as the cycle of “war–ceasefire–war.” In a post on his X account addressed to the “heroic nation of Iran,” Ghalibaf said public mobilization and the sacrifices of Iran’s armed forces over the past 25 nights had created conditions for what he called a “historic victory.” “No one can issue ultimatums to Iran or the Iranian people,” he wrote. Ghalibaf added that Iran’s forces would not lose the opportunity created by the war and would press on until “complete victory” and the end of the cycle of “war–ceasefire–war.” Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, accused U.S. soldiers of fleeing military bases in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and taking shelter in civilian locations. “From the outset of this war, U.S. soldiers fled military bases in GCC countries to hide in hotels and offices,” Araghchi wrote on X. He alleged that the move amounts to using Gulf civilians as “human shields.” “Hotels in the U.S. deny bookings to officers who may endanger customers,” he wrote. “GCC hotels should do the same.” Araghchi also said on Sunday (March 23) that the Strait of Hormuz remains open, but ships are hesitant to pass due to the war initiated by the U.S. and Israel against Iran. His comments came within 24 hours of President Trump issuing an ultimatum to Iran over the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. In a post on X, Araghchi wrote: “The Strait of Hormuz is not closed. Ships hesitate because insurers fear the war of choice you initiated—not Iran.” He added that vessels belonging to what he described as aggressor parties “cannot be considered normal and non-hostile passage” and would be dealt with in accordance with the legal framework arising from the conflict, as well as decisions by Iranian authorities. He also criticized the U.S. president, saying Iran would not be “swayed by more threats,” even after Trump warned he could “hit” and “obliterate” Iran’s power plants if the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened. “Freedom of navigation cannot exist without freedom of trade. Respect both—or expect neither,” he said.