President Donald Trump said in a social media post Saturday evening that Middle Eastern allies have reached the outlines of a deal to end the war with Iran, and that he would hold off on ordering new strikes for now in the five-month-old conflict.
Trump said the emerging agreement would include the “Immediate, Complete, and Total OPENING OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT,” and an end to Iran’s nuclear threat. “Based on this request, I have agreed, for the future benefit of the WORLD and, likewise, the survival of a successful and prosperous Iran, to cancel the attack, subject to being able to rapidly make a DEAL,” he wrote. He said Israel had agreed to join the United States in committing to complete an agreement with Iran to end the war. Iran did not immediately respond publicly to the announcement.
The reversal came a day after Trump told reporters he was close to resuming heavy military strikes to pressure Tehran back to the negotiating table. The United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran on Feb. 28, in a campaign Trump said was intended to destroy Tehran’s missile capabilities, prevent it from obtaining a nuclear weapon, and end its support for allied armed groups. The war’s stated goals and timeline have shifted repeatedly since then. An interim agreement reached in mid-June briefly halted the fighting but collapsed within weeks after Iran resumed attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
The announcement followed a phone call earlier Saturday between Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, in which the Saudi leader raised concerns about a possible U.S. escalation, a person familiar with the discussion said. According to that person, Gulf states fear that if Washington strikes Iranian energy infrastructure, Tehran could retaliate against oil facilities in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries. Saudi Arabia had joined the United States earlier in the week, and the crown prince dispatched his brother, Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman, in connection with the diplomatic push.
