Trump Halts Strike on Iran, but Sets One Condition
He said he cancelled strikes after regional contacts but demanded a rapid deal that would, among other items, reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
President Donald Trump said he called off planned strikes against Iran but attached a clear condition for the pause. In a post on his Truth Social platform he wrote that Iran and other Middle Eastern governments asked him to refrain from attacking because the basic terms of an agreement had been settled, but that the deal must be reached "quickly."
Trump said the agreement he envisions would include reopening the Strait of Hormuz and removing what he called Iran's nuclear threat. He added that the United States had been "ready and fully armed to go against the Islamic Republic of Iran, with a level of military force, power and terror unseen since World War II."
Washington's announcement followed media reports that US planners, together with Israeli partners, had considered a major campaign targeting Iran's energy infrastructure. Those options were discussed at a White House meeting on Friday, according to officials who described the deliberations.
Ratcheting tensions and regional warnings
During the same Friday session, Trump — while journalists remained in the room — reportedly said: "We'll hit them very hard. At one point they'll say: 'We simply cannot take it anymore.'" The president's remarks come amid an exchange of strikes and counterstrikes between the United States and Iran since a ceasefire that began in April broke down in June.
Tehran has so far not issued a direct response to Trump's statement. Earlier this week Iran warned that any country in the region that cooperates with Washington would "be consumed by the flames of war," while the US government advised American citizens living in the Middle East to be alert and prepared to depart in case of further escalation.
The current confrontation has featured US strikes described by officials as a strong wave of attacks in response to an attempted ballistic missile attack on American forces, Iranian rocket and drone launches toward US positions in several countries, attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz, and US steps to block Iranian ports. US and Israeli military operations against Iran began on February 28, and the outbreak of open hostilities has affected global oil markets.
Photo: Profimedia
