Trump cancels Iran strikes, demands Strait of Hormuz reopening and end to nuclear threat as deal outline emerges

Escalation threats

On Friday 31 July, President Trump threatened Iran with massive strikes on its energy infrastructure during a cabinet meeting at Camp David. "We're going to hit them very hard," he said, according to multiple reports. US media, including CBS News and the Wall Street Journal, reported that Washington and Israel were preparing joint strikes targeting Iranian oil refineries and power plants, with action possible as soon as the weekend. The US military, Trump later wrote, was "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."

Saudi intervention

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called Trump on Saturday 1 August to express the kingdom's concerns about a new wave of attacks, according to Axios and the Associated Press. A person familiar with the discussion said the crown prince urged Trump to de-escalate, warning that Iranian retaliation could target Saudi and other Gulf energy infrastructure. The call followed a week in which Saudi Arabia joined US strikes on Iranian-backed militias in Iraq and dispatched Defence Minister Khalid bin Salman to Washington for meetings with Trump and Vice President JD Vance to coordinate Iran strategy.

Trump's announcement

In a Truth Social post on Saturday, Trump said the US and Israel had agreed to suspend the planned strikes after being asked by Iran and other Middle Eastern countries to hold off. "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," he wrote. Trump specified that any agreement must include "the Immediate, Complete, and Total OPENING OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT, and an end to Iran's nuclear threat." He added that Israel joined the commitment.

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. Despite this, we have just been asked by Iran, and other Middle Eastern Countries, to hold off any attack in that the parameters of a deal has been agreed to.

Regional warnings

Iran had earlier threatened counter-strikes on critical infrastructure in Israel and Gulf states. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghtschi warned on Telegram that any new aggression would be met with a decisive response. "The powerful armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will respond decisively to any act of aggression," he wrote. "In the event of new attacks, the United States, Israel, and participating states in the Gulf region must bear full responsibility." The US State Department issued a security alert on Saturday urging American citizens in the Middle East to consider leaving, citing potential escalation and possible flight cancellations or airspace closures. Pakistan, which has been mediating, said Thursday that the warring parties were negotiating de-escalation, particularly regarding the Strait of Hormuz.

The powerful armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will respond decisively to any act of aggression. In the event of new attacks, the United States, Israel, and participating states in the Gulf region must bear full responsibility.

Path to a deal

The five-month conflict, which began in late February, has seen repeated cycles of strikes and counter-strikes. A framework agreement reached in mid-June failed to produce a lasting ceasefire, and the US resumed attacks in mid-July. The Strait of Hormuz, a critical oil transit chokepoint, has been a central flashpoint. Trump's announcement signals a potential breakthrough, but the conditional nature of the pause leaves the situation fragile. Saudi Arabia, which has been urging both sides back to negotiations, dispatched its defence minister to Washington earlier in the week for separate meetings with Trump and Vice President Vance. The conflict, unpopular among many Americans, has jolted the global economy just months before critical US midterm elections in November.