Shortly after, Iranian state television put up a graphic that read: “U.S. president backs down following Iran’s firm warning.”
Israel’s defense minister says the military killed top Iranian security official Ali Larijani in an overnight strike.
Oil prices are down, and stocks are up, though such moves have been quick to change since the war in Iran began.
His first statement since his appointment was read on state television Thursday by a news anchor.
President Trump says his administration will tap the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to try and reduce gas prices that have risen due to the Iran war.
Iran has attacked commercial ships across the Persian Gulf and targeted Dubai International Airport.
The conflict, now in its second week, is ensnaring countries and infrastructure critical to the production and transportation of oil and gas worldwide.
Surging oil prices jolted other financial markets, as share benchmarks in Japan and South Korea plunged more than 5%.
In addition to striking Tehran on the fifth day of the conflict, Israel hit the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon.
Worries are particularly high about what will happen to the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Iran, where roughly a fifth of the world’s oil passes.
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