Donald Trump extended his Iran peace deal deadline by 10 days after Wall Street equities suffered their worst day since the Middle East conflict began. The US president announced on Truth Social that at Tehran's request he was pausing 'Energy Plant destruction' until April 6, claiming negotiations were 'ongoing' and 'going very well'.

Trump's post came 11 minutes after the close of share trading, marking another shift in the White House's stance during the month-old war with Iran. The move follows mounting concerns about the conflict's impact on global markets, with Brent crude surging 5.7% to $108.01 a barrel, its biggest rise since March 11. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite dropped 2.4%, entering 'technical correction' territory.

The extension suggests Trump may be reluctant to risk further military escalation as the Pentagon deploys thousands of additional US troops to the Middle East. The decision came at the end of a particularly volatile session where the S&P 500 closed down 1.7% to a six-month low, and Treasury yields jumped as investors worried about inflation surging to 4.2% this year, according to OECD warnings.