US President Donald Trump said he has canceled a planned attack on Iran in consideration of a potential deal with the country.
Mr. Trump said on 'Truth Social' that "for the sake of the world's future and a successful and prosperous Iran, I have agreed to cancel the attack, provided a deal can be made soon. Israel is also with me on this commitment." Earlier, Mr. Trump had a phone conversation with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on the weekend. Axios reported, citing informed sources, that the Saudi leader expressed concern over the US plans for a major attack on Iran.
Another source told Axios that the crown prince appealed to Mr. Trump to reduce tensions and avoid attacking Iran, and according to another report, Qatari representatives held separate talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, and Omani representatives over the weekend in an effort to agree on reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Reports suggest some progress has been made between the two sides, although it is not yet clear whether this will help reduce tensions.
Press TV had earlier reported that Mr. Araqchi had a phone conversation with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and warned Western Asian countries that they would be responsible if they assisted US attacks on Iran. CBS had earlier cited sources as saying that the US and Israel were preparing for a large-scale attack on Iran's energy infrastructure, which could happen as early as this week.
On July 8, Trump announced that the ceasefire agreement with Iran, which was reached on the night of June 18, was no longer in effect. Since July 8, the US military has carried out several attacks on Iran. The US Central Command claimed the actions were in response to Tehran's attacks on commercial ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz. The Iranian military retaliated by attacking US bases in several Middle Eastern countries. Tehran also accused Washington of violating a ceasefire agreement.