US President Donald Trump announced late Saturday that he was cancelling a planned large-scale military attack on Iran, saying the "perimeters of a deal" had been agreed upon and that he would delay any strike provided an agreement could be reached quickly. Writing on his Truth Social platform, Trump said Iran and other Middle Eastern countries had asked the US to hold off, and that he had agreed on the condition that negotiations conclude rapidly. The deal, as he described it, would require the "immediate, complete and total" reopening of the Strait of Hormuz — the narrow waterway between the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf through which a significant share of the world's oil passes — and an end to what he called "Iran's nuclear threat." He also claimed Israel had joined the commitment, though the Israeli government made no immediate public statement.
The announcement came after a day of intense regional pressure and escalating threats. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called Trump on Saturday to urge de-escalation and seek clarity on Washington's intentions, according to sources familiar with the conversation cited by Axios and the Associated Press. Saudi concerns centred on the risk of Iranian retaliation against Gulf energy infrastructure: Iran's Nournews agency, affiliated with the country's top security body, had warned that US strikes on Iranian energy sites would prompt Iranian attacks on oil fields in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, as well as gas fields in Qatar and Israel. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, in separate calls with his Saudi, Turkish and Pakistani counterparts, stated that any aggression by the US and Israel, or participation by regional states, would be met with a "proportionate response."
The backdrop to Trump's reversal was a region already sliding deeper into crisis. Kuwait's army said it shot down Iranian drones targeting vital facilities, with shrapnel damaging a government site in northern Kuwait and property on Bubiyan Island, though no casualties were reported. Britain's maritime trade authority reported two incidents off the coast of Oman, including a tanker struck by an unknown projectile that damaged its engine room. Shipping data firm Kepler noted that traffic through the Strait of Hormuz had declined sharply, sending further shockwaves through global energy markets. Benchmark Brent crude futures had already risen roughly 24 per cent in July alone.
The conflict, which began when US and Israeli forces launched strikes on Iran on 28 February, has disrupted lives across the Middle East and destabilised global energy supply chains for months. Trump had said as recently as Friday that the US would hit Iran "very hard," and US embassies in ten countries — including Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan and Lebanon — issued security alerts urging American citizens to consider leaving the region. At Camp David on Friday, Trump had also expressed doubts about Iranian intentions, saying they "break their word so often," a charge Tehran routinely levels back at Washington.
Whether the announced de-escalation will hold remains uncertain. Iran had not officially responded to Trump's post by the time of publication. The Israeli government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has previously distanced itself from agreements announced by Trump, and Israeli and US approaches toward Iran and its allies have at times diverged. Analysts and diplomats will be watching closely in the coming days for concrete signs of negotiation, even as the humanitarian and economic toll of the months-long conflict continues to mount.