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Strike paused for talks
U.S. President Donald Trump said he cancelled a planned attack on Iran after Tehran and other Middle Eastern countries asked for a pause, with Trump writing on Truth Social that he agreed "to cancel the attack, subject to being able to rapidly make a DEAL."
“to cancel the attack, subject to being able to rapidly make a DEAL”
Trump said the deal would include the "Immediate, Complete, and Total OPENING OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT, and an end to Iran's nuclear threat," and the Associated Press reported that a regional official involved in mediation said the proposal also calls for halting attacks across the region.
Iran’s acting defense minister said on Sunday that Tehran considers every threat from its adversaries credible and uses it to increase its military readiness and deterrence, while Iran’s acting defense minister Majid Ibn Al-Reza said Tehran would not be surprised or passive.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman urged dialogue and efforts to de-escalate regional tensions during a phone call with Trump, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
The Hill said Trump was holding off on a massive attack on Iran despite warning that the U.S. was "locked and loaded and ready to go," citing the request tied to the outline of a deal being agreed upon.
Israel, Iran trade barbs
Iran International said negotiations between Iran and Oman over the Strait of Hormuz were in their final stages after Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday that talks were near the final stage, while Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said the understanding with Oman over a new transit route had "nothing to do with whether the Strait of Hormuz remains open or closed."
CNN reported that Iranian state media gave no indication that Tehran asked for the attacks to be called off or has changed its stance on the vital waterway, and it said no strikes were reported from either the Iranian or US side overnight into Sunday.
The BBC said Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency denied that Tehran had asked the US to hold off on further military action, calling Trump’s claims "nothing but a new lie."
The BBC also quoted Iran’s acting Defence Minister Majid Ibn al-Reza saying Tehran viewed every threat from its adversaries as "real and credible" even if it formed part of psychological warfare.
Anadolu Ajansı reported that Israeli security officials criticized Trump after his decision to cancel a wide attack, quoting the Israeli Broadcasting Authority saying that "Trump's repeated last-minute backpedaling (on the attack on Iran) confuses Israeli military preparations".
What’s at stake next
CBS News said the U.S. and Israel had been planning what would be one of the to date against energy infrastructure targets in Iran, and it reported that the Trump administration is offering the public less information about the conflict’s direction even as costs continue to mount.
“More than 50,000 American troops remain deployed in the Middle East”
CBS News also said more than 50,000 American troops remain deployed in the Middle East, and it cited that some 18 U.S. service members are dead and hundreds more are injured or wounded.
CNN said the collapse of the initial US-Iran ceasefire last month has been followed by greater disruptions to global shipping in the strait and elsewhere in the region, and it said Americans are facing high gas prices as a result.
CNN reported that OPEC+ agreed to increase oil production in September, raising daily output by another 188,000 barrels a day, as the Strait of Hormuz remains impassable to maritime traffic.
The Hill noted that Trump was traveling back to Washington from Bedminster, N.J., on Sunday, while it also described how the pending war posture and domestic politics are intertwined with the administration’s message ahead of the November midterms.
