Trump says a deal to end the Iran war is close. Iran warns against US escalation, and Saudi Arabia seeks clarity, as oil markets stay on edge. In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said Iran and other Middle Eastern countries had asked for time to complete a deal. He said he had agreed to pause any new attack while a deal is worked out quickly.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced that he is calling off a large-scale military strike against Iran that had been anticipated for this weekend.
Writing on his social media platform Truth Social, President Trump stated that he received requests from Iran and other Middle Eastern countries asking him to hold off on the attack, as they agreed to a framework for an agreement.
President Trump explained that the proposed agreement includes the immediate and full opening of the Strait of Hormuz and an end to Iran's nuclear threat.
He added that he decided to call off the strikes on the condition that an agreement is reached swiftly, noting that Israel is also joining in this approach.
However, because a final agreement has not yet been concluded, military tensions have not been completely defused.
Previously, President Trump was reported to have been considering a massive attack targeting Iran's energy facilities and key infrastructure.
In response, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman requested that President Trump exercise restraint.
This was due to concerns that Iran could launch retaliatory strikes against oil and gas facilities in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf nations.
Iran had warned that if the United States or Israel launched an attack, it would respond decisively, including targeting energy facilities in the region.
As the situation in the Middle East rapidly escalated, the U.S. Department of State issued an urgent security alert advising U.S. citizens in 10 Middle Eastern countries, including Israel, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia, to prepare for travel disruptions such as canceled flights and temporary airspace closures.
While today's announcement has temporarily put the large-scale airstrikes on hold, the cancellation comes with the condition of a "swift agreement."
It remains to be seen whether the Middle East tensions, which spiked just before the planned strikes, will actually lead to a formal agreement.
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US President Donald Trump said Saturday evening that Middle East allies have reached the outline of a deal to end the war with Iran, and that he would hold off on new strikes for now. Iran, meanwhile, warned the US against any further escalation.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warns of any “adventurous action” by the US in separate phone calls with his Turkish counterpart and Pakistan’s army commander, according to the Iranian minister’s account on Telegram.
Araghchi stresses his country’s readiness to respond decisively to any “aggression”.
Araghchi also speaks to his Saudi counterpart, saying that any “aggression” by the US and Israel or participation of regional countries in these actions will be met with a “decisive and proportionate response”, according to his Telegram account.
Araghchi later told his Saudi counterpart that any attack by the US and Israel, or the involvement of other regional countries, would be met with a “decisive and proportionate response”, Reuters reported
Kuwait’s army said it destroyed hostile drones launched by Iran
The drones were targeting several important facilities
A government site in northern Kuwait and private property on Bubiyan Island were hit on Saturday
Falling debris caused damage, but no one was hurt, the Kuwaiti army said.
Oil prices have stayed high since the US and Israel began strikes on Iran on 28 February. Brent crude futures rose 24 per cent in July, and analysts expect prices to climb further this year.
Most shipping has avoided the Strait of Hormuz since the war began, and Iran-aligned Houthi forces in Yemen have also begun threatening the Bab el-Mandeb strait, another key route for Saudi oil exports.
Britain’s maritime trade body said it had received reports of two separate tanker incidents off Oman on Saturday, including one where a vessel’s engine room was damaged.
The war began after the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran in February.
Earlier this week, the US said it stopped a surprise Iranian attack on an American base in Jordan
Trump had vowed to respond to that attack.
Trump met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Tuesday, their first in-person meeting since the war began, with Netanyahu pushing for the campaign against Iran to continue.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Iran had “broke it, shot at commercial ships, and killed American soldiers,” referring to a truce agreement signed with the US last month.
The US State Department issued fresh security alerts on Saturday for Americans in Bahrain, Israel, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, warning of possible flight cancellations and airspace closures as tensions continue. Whether the outlined deal holds now depends on how quickly Iran, the US and their allies can turn the current understanding into a formal agreement.
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