President Donald Trump announced late on Saturday that he had called off a planned large-scale military strike on Iran, claiming that Tehran and other Middle Eastern countries had asked him to hold off after the “perimeters of a deal” were agreed. In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said the United States was “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.” He stated that the proposed agreement would include the “Immediate, Complete and Total OPENING OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT, and an end to Iran’s nuclear threat,” and that Israel “joins me in this commitment.” The cancellation, he added, was “subject to being able to rapidly make a DEAL.”

Iranian military officials swiftly rejected Trump’s account. The IRGC-affiliated Mehr News Agency quoted officials calling the claim that Iran had requested a halt “a desperate attempt to blackmail Gulf state rulers” and insisting that Iranian forces remained at the highest level of readiness. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, in separate calls with his Saudi, Turkish and Pakistani counterparts, warned that any “adventurous action” by the US or Israel, or regional cooperation in such actions, would be met with a “decisive and proportionate response.” According to Axios, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman telephoned Trump on Saturday to express concern and urge de‑escalation; a source told the outlet the crown prince “urged Trump to de‑escalate and refrain from launching the strikes.” Qatari mediators were also reported to have held separate talks with Araghchi, US envoy Steve Witkoff and Omani officials in an effort to secure an agreement on reopening the strait.

The Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly one-fifth of global petroleum supply normally passes, has been effectively closed to most international commercial vessels since the conflict began, contributing to a sharp rise in oil prices. The war started on 28 February when US and Israeli forces launched strikes on Iran. A memorandum of understanding signed in June briefly halted the fighting and was meant to pave the way for a permanent deal, but it collapsed within weeks as both sides resumed attacks. Trump’s latest announcement therefore represents a conditional tactical pause rather than a durable ceasefire: he explicitly warned that the US remained ready to strike if a deal is not reached quickly, and US embassies across the Middle East had earlier urged American citizens to consider departing the region or to prepare for possible flight cancellations and airspace closures.

Viewed from Washington, the decision follows mounting economic and political pressure. Benchmark Brent crude futures rose 24 per cent in July, and the resumption of hostilities comes just three months before US midterm elections. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Fox News that US strikes had “wiped out” much of Iran’s conventional defences, leaving Tehran “now willing and in some cases seem eager to do a deal on denuclearization, to do a deal on the straits.” Iran has not publicly confirmed acceptance of the parameters Trump described, and the state of the dossier remains highly uncertain. The next steps depend on whether the parties can rapidly translate the claimed outline into a formal accord, with the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s nuclear programme at the centre of any negotiation.