Trump says US ‘holding off’ on Iran attack after progress on renewed deal

UPDATE: The IRGC news group Fars News is reporting that “no agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, adding that the waterway will remain closed as long as the U.S. continues what it described as hostile actions.”

Peloni:  Should we laugh or cry on what seems to be the latest retelling of an all too familiar and recurring story of threats of war being cancelled on promises of a future deal with only the US, and not Iran, describing the Iranians as having agreed to the latest hudna under consideration.  We will see what comes from this, but in truth we have seen this story several times now over the past many months, and it is nearly identical in every way, not least with an American ‘partner’ desperately acting as Iran’s spokesman while Iran remains as mute as ever on any concessions which they are willing to make. Prepare for two weeks of more negotiations which is only addressing what had already been negotiated back in June.  Gen. Jack Keane has noted that the US negotiation strategy is not working, a fact which could hardly be missed by the most unobservant of analysts, but the fact that we are back to square one in arguing over the underlying basis of the MOU all over again only serves to suggest that something more substantiveis taking place while these unproductive negotiations continue to be at least the public focus of Trump’s efforts.

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Following several days of anticipation of a resumption of U.S. military action in Iran, President Donald Trump announced early Sunday morning that the U.S. would “hold off any attack,” saying the parameters of a deal have been reached.

“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 perimeters [sic] of a deal has been agreed to,” Trump posted to his Truth Social account Sunday morning.

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

President Trump said the canceling of the attacks is “subject to being able to rapidly make a DEAL,” while claiming that Israel is in agreement with his decision.

“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. The Country of Israel joins me in this commitment,” he wrote. “Get to work, everybody, and get it DONE. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

While Iranian media reported Trump’s announcement, Mohammad Marandi, a commentator affiliated with the Iranian regime and a former adviser to Tehran’s nuclear negotiating team, wrote on social media that Trump had “backed down.” 

“By now everyone knows this is fake news,” Marandi wrote. “Trump backed down.” 

Over the weekend, the Israeli military was reported by several Israeli news outlets to have raised its alert levels, in anticipation of renewed U.S. military operations against Iran.

CBS News had previously reported that the U.S. and Israel were planning a joint bombing campaign in Iran, targeting energy infrastructure.

While the message posted by President Trump said that he had been asked by unnamed “Middle Eastern Countries” to halt the planned attacks, a report in Axios claimed that Saudi Arabia’s crown prince asked the president to hold off on attacks. 

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman spoke with President Trump on Saturday evening, expressing concern over the US administration’s plans to launch another wave of large-scale strikes against Iran, Axios reported, citing two senior US officials and another source familiar with the conversation.

The Saudis expressed concern that the planned U.S. attacks on Iranian infrastructure could lead to a large Iranian response, which would potentially target Saudi energy infrastructure, Axios reported.

Meanwhile, the decision to hold off on the attacks came after Iranian officials agreed to a deal which would reopen the Strait of Hormuz, Israel’s Channel 12 News reports.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi agreed to a compromise deal, reopening the Strait of Hormuz, Channel 12 claims, causing President Trump to call off the planned strikes on Iran.

According to the report, which cited two diplomats familiar with the situation, the compromise deal was put forward by Qatar and the U.S.

As part of the deal, vessels will enter the Persian Gulf via the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-controlled route in the northern part of the Strait, and exit via the southern, Omani route.

On Friday, the White House indicated it was considering carrying out fresh strikes in Iran, citing the failure of the Iranian regime to honor the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding, signed in June.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Friday accused Iran of not keeping the MoU, saying the regime, “broke it, shot at commercial ships, and killed American soldiers.”

“President Trump is not going to stand by and allow this terrorist behavior to occur,” Leavitt said in a statement on Friday evening. “Iran will continue to pay until they come to the table in, what President Trump deems, a meaningful way.”

In a cabinet meeting on Friday, President Trump said he is losing faith in Iran.

Asked by reporters whether he thinks it’s possible to reach a deal with Iran, Trump responded, “I’m losing faith in them.”

The president also claimed that Iran is doing “very, very poorly.”

“They’re having a hard time. They’ve been very dishonest. They’ve been very dishonorable to deal with, but that makes no difference. They’re doing very, very poorly,” he told reporters at the cabinet meeting in Camp David.