President Donald Trump says the US and Israel will pause planned strikes on Iran if a deal is reached quickly, though Tehran denies requesting a halt and disputes his account.
US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that the United States and Israel had agreed to hold off on new strikes against Iran, provided a deal to end the months-long conflict is reached rapidly.
The shift comes as fears had been mounting of renewed escalation, and as global oil prices which had dipped during an earlier ceasefire climbed again once fighting resumed.
Trump made the announcement in a post on his Truth Social platform, days after threatening to hit Iran “very hard” and reportedly weighing renewed heavy attacks, including against energy infrastructure.
He said the US remained “locked and loaded and ready to go against the Islamic Republic of Iran,” but added that “we have just been asked by Iran, and other Middle Eastern Countries, to hold off any attack.”
“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,” Trump wrote.
The US leader appeared to change course after speaking with Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, and after Tehran also spoke to Riyadh and to mediators Pakistan and Turkey.
Iran’s Mehr News Agency Rejects Trump’s Account
Citing military officials, Iran’s Mehr news agency called Trump’s claim that Tehran had asked him to refrain “nothing but a new lie” and said Iran’s military was “on high alert and ready for any eventuality.” Iranian state media reported separately that the Saudi and Iranian foreign ministers held a call, and that Tehran also spoke with Pakistan and Turkey about “the risk of escalating tensions and insecurity in the region.”
Iran and the US resumed exchanges of fire last month after a days-long lull in fighting, though there were no reported strikes between Friday and Sunday. On Wednesday, a drone struck a US-owned gas vessel moored in an Egyptian port, sparking a fire; Egypt is investigating but has not yet accused any group of carrying out the attack. Separately, a British maritime agency said Saturday that an “unknown projectile” struck a tanker off the coast of Oman.
Conflict Comes Three Months Ahead Of US Midterm Elections
The renewed back-and-forth arrives just three months before US midterm elections that could pose a challenge for Trump’s Republican Party. US embassies across the Middle East warned their citizens on Saturday to beware of “unforeseen escalation” in the regional conflict and urged them to be ready to leave.
Hormuz And Bab El-Mandeb Traffic Disrupted By The War
Iran has effectively controlled navigation through the Strait of Hormuz since the war broke out on February 28, requiring vessels to obtain permission and pay transit fees to use the waterway. Maritime trade tracking firm Kpler said Friday that traffic through the strait has dropped sharply. On the Bab el-Mandeb Strait a route of growing importance for Saudi oil exports linking the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean via the Suez Canal Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen denied on Saturday that they were seeking to charge ships for passage.
Iran’s Fars news agency, citing a source close to Iranian negotiators, said the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed “as long as the United States maintains its hostile actions.”
