US President Donald Trump has said he has called off planned military strikes against Iran, provided both sides can quickly reach a new agreement.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump claimed Iran and several Middle Eastern countries had urged him to delay any attack because the framework of a potential deal had already been agreed.
According to him, the United States was prepared to launch a major military offensive before deciding to pause the operation.
“We are 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 added that suspending the planned strikes would serve the interests of global peace and Iran’s future.
“For the future benefit of the world and, likewise, the survival of a successful and prosperous Iran.”
His comments followed media reports suggesting that the United States and Israel had been considering a fresh wave of large-scale strikes targeting Iran’s energy infrastructure.
However, Iran rejected Trump’s account. The country’s semi-official Mehr news agency denied that Tehran had asked Washington to delay military action, describing the president’s claims as “nothing but a new lie.”
Iran’s acting Defence Minister, Majid Ibn al-Reza, also warned that Tehran continued to treat threats from its rivals seriously.
“We will neither be caught off guard nor remain passive.”
According to reports, discussions about a possible military operation were raised during Trump’s cabinet meeting on Friday, while the US government also advised Americans across the Middle East to remain alert and be prepared to leave the region if tensions escalated.
Earlier this year, Trump warned that “a whole civilisation will die tonight” unless Iran agreed to peace negotiations, threatening attacks on civilian infrastructure and power facilities. The warning eventually led to direct talks in Pakistan led by Vice President JD Vance, although the negotiations failed to produce an agreement.
During Friday’s cabinet meeting, Trump was also quoted as saying:
“We’ll be hitting them [Iranians] very hard. At some point, they’re going to say, ‘We just can’t take it anymore.’”
Meanwhile, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman reportedly held talks with Trump aimed at easing tensions across the region.
According to Saudi Arabia’s state news agency, the Crown Prince stressed “the necessity of prioritising dialogue to reduce tensions and the importance of exerting all possible efforts to achieve a truce that paves the way for diplomatic solutions.”
The latest developments come amid months of escalating hostilities between Washington and Tehran following the collapse of a ceasefire earlier this year. The United States has carried out strikes on Iranian targets and tightened restrictions on Iranian ports, while Iran has launched missile and drone attacks against US assets in the Middle East and disrupted shipping activities in the Strait of Hormuz.
The conflict has also fuelled volatility in global oil markets, while growing public opposition in the United States is adding pressure on the Trump administration as the country moves closer to the midterm elections.
