US President Donald Trump canceled a planned major military strike on Iran after a request from Tehran and pressure from regional countries. In a statement on his Truth Social platform, Trump said the US was ready to attack with a force 'unseen since World War II,' but that he stopped the planned operation because of a ceasefire appeal.
Trump said the agreed conditions included the immediate and full opening of the Strait of Hormuz and the elimination of Iran's nuclear threat. 'I agreed to cancel the attack on condition that we make a deal quickly,' Trump said, adding, 'Israel is with me in this commitment.'
According to Axios news agency, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) called Trump on Saturday to urge de-escalation. MBS conveyed his concern over Washington's new strikes on Iranian energy targets and warned that a major US attack could trigger Iranian retaliation against oil and gas facilities in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Israel.
This development followed a series of events in July. On July 17, Iran attacked the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, killing two US soldiers and wounding dozens. On July 28, Iran's Revolutionary Guards launched a missile attack on US forces in Jordan, but the missiles were intercepted. The same day, the Revolutionary Guards Navy claimed to have struck and stopped three tankers in the Strait of Hormuz. On July 31, Iran-linked media threatened attacks targeting energy facilities in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, and Israel.
According to a Wall Street Journal report on July 29, US Central Command (CENTCOM) was working on a plan for an intensive 10- to 14-day air campaign targeting Iran's missile capacity. Trump also told Axios that they were preparing a 'major attack' larger than anything planned so far in the conflict.
Israel's explicit endorsement of the ceasefire commitment signals significant alignment between Washington and Jerusalem, which have at times diverged on war aims. While Israel had previously sought broader military objectives such as the complete dismantling of Iran's proxy network, the US had focused more on a diplomatic solution.
The announcement on the 154th day of the conflict is seen as the biggest diplomatic breakthrough since a memorandum of understanding in June. However, Trump's condition that the deal be made 'quickly' shows that the military option remains on the table and that the cancellation is conditional.
