Trump says US pauses planned Iran strikes as talks progress; Hormuz reopening part of proposed deal
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US President Donald Trump on Sunday (IST) said he had agreed to cancel planned weekend military strikes against Iran after receiving a request from Tehran and other Middle Eastern countries, claiming that the broad parameters of a deal had been agreed upon. However, he cautioned that the pause in US military action would continue only if the agreement is finalised quickly.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the proposed deal would include the "immediate, complete, and total" reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and an end to Iran's nuclear threat.
"We have just been asked by Iran, and other Middle Eastern Countries, to hold off any attack in that the perimeters of a deal has been agreed to," Trump wrote.
He added that the United States was "locked and loaded and ready to go" against Iran but decided to suspend the planned strikes to allow diplomacy to proceed. "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.
The development comes amid heightened tensions in the region. On Saturday, the US State Department advised American citizens across the Middle East to consider leaving the region or be prepared to depart at short notice, citing escalating security risks and the possibility of flight disruptions.
Earlier, Trump had warned of additional military action against Iran, saying on Friday that the US would be "hitting them very hard." Iran, in turn, vowed to "punish" the United States, with both countries reportedly exchanging heavy strikes, according to US officials.
Meanwhile, Nournews, a media outlet affiliated with Iran's top security body, warned on Saturday that any US attacks on Iran's energy infrastructure would trigger retaliatory strikes on oil facilities in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, as well as gas fields in Qatar and Israel. The outlet warned that "all will be burned to ashes."