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Trump pauses Iran attack
U.S. President Donald Trump agreed to cancel a planned attack on Iran after Iran and other Middle Eastern countries requested a pause, saying on Truth Social that “the perimeters of a deal has been agreed to.”
“We have just been asked by Iran, and other Middle Eastern Countries, to hold off any attack”
Trump said the agreement would include the “Immediate, Complete, and Total OPENING OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT, and an end to Iran's nuclear threat,” while also saying the U.S. “is locked and loaded and ready to go.”
Iran’s acting Defense Minister, Seyyed Majid Ibn Al-Reza, said Tehran viewed recent U.S. threats as “psychological and cognitive warfare campaign” but that Iran “consider every threat to be real and take it seriously,” according to a state media post on X.
Negotiations between Iran and Oman over the Strait of Hormuz were described as being in their final stages by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, after Trump called off the planned attack to allow time for diplomacy.
Diplomacy, deterrence, and explosions
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 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.
In a separate development, UKMTO said it received a report of an incident about 20 nautical miles northeast of Khasab, Oman, where the master of a tanker reported hearing an explosion in close proximity to the vessel and the ship and its crew were reported safe.
Trump also said negotiations with Iran would resume on Monday afternoon, expressing confidence that agreements had already been reached on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and that a deal on Iran's nuclear program would follow.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi spoke with his Iraqi counterpart, Fuad Hussein, late on Sunday to discuss the latest regional developments, with IRIB saying the two foreign ministers also discussed ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation.
What’s at stake next
The pause is tied to reopening the Strait of Hormuz and ending what Trump described as Iran’s nuclear threat, but the sources also describe ongoing friction over shipping and escalation risks as the conflict continues.
“reopening the Strait of Hormuz and halting attacks across the region”
The Associated Press reported that Trump’s proposal would call for reopening the Strait of Hormuz and halting attacks across the region, including attacks by Iranian-backed militias in Iraq on Persian Gulf countries and Jordan, in exchange for the U.S. ending its naval blockade on Iran and allowing Tehran to export oil.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told his Saudi counterpart in a phone call on Saturday that any “aggression” by the U.S. and Israel or participation of regional countries will be met with a “decisive and proportionate response,” according to Araqchi’s Telegram account.
NBC News also reported that the State Department urged Americans across the Middle East to consider leaving the region or be prepared to depart on short notice, warning of flight disruptions and security risks as the conflict with Iran appeared to be escalating.
