Trump says US agrees to hold off Iran attack as deal takes shape, cites Hormuz reopening

Washington: US President Donald Trump on Sunday said the United States had agreed to hold off a planned military attack on Iran after Tehran and several Middle Eastern countries requested a pause, claiming that the framework of a potential agreement had been reached.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the US remained fully prepared for military action but had decided to suspend the planned strike to allow diplomacy to move forward.

“The U.S.A. is locked and loaded and ready to go against the Islamic Republic of Iran, at levels of Military Terror, Strength, and Power not seen since World War II,” Trump wrote.

He said Iran and other countries in the Middle East had urged Washington to delay military action because “the perimeters of a deal has been agreed to.”

According to Trump, the proposed agreement would include the “Immediate, Complete, and Total OPENING OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT, and an end to Iran’s nuclear threat.”

“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 said.

He also claimed that Israel supported the decision to pursue the diplomatic path.

“The Country of Israel joins me in this commitment. Get to work, everybody, and get it DONE,” he added.

Trump did not provide further details about the proposed agreement, its timeline, or whether Iran or Israel had officially confirmed the claims made in his post.

Earlier, Trump said the US would continue military action against Iran until Tehran was no longer able to threaten American forces or pursue a nuclear weapon, while expressing diminishing confidence that negotiations with the Iranian leadership would succeed.

Speaking to reporters after chairing the first live televised Cabinet meeting ever held at Camp David, Trump said the administration would maintain pressure on Iran despite ongoing diplomatic contacts.

“Well, we’ll be hitting – we’ll be hitting them very hard and, you know, at some point they’re going to say, we just can’t take it anymore,” Trump said when asked what to expect in the coming weeks.

He reiterated that preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon remained Washington’s central objective.

“They cannot have a nuclear weapon. Iran will not have a nuclear weapon, and they can’t have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said. “If they did, the Middle East would have been wiped out by now.”

The President said Iran had suffered extensive military losses but insisted it still retained limited capabilities.

IANS