President Donald Trump says the United States will postpone a new attack on Iran if Tehran can quickly agree to curb its nuclear programme and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
In a post on Truth Social last night, Mr Trump said Iran and other Middle Eastern nations had requested more time to reach an agreement that would bring about “the Immediate, Complete and Total” reopening of the strategic waterway and “an end to Iran’s nuclear threat”.
He did not identify the countries involved. The post came after a telephone conversation with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia, a US ally.
“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,” Mr Trump wrote.
Iranian state media rejected the president’s account, saying Tehran had not asked Washington to halt its strikes. It described the claim as a “new lie” and said Iran’s armed forces remained fully prepared.
Iran says it is boosting deterrence
Mr Trump’s apparent step back, following days of threats from both sides, marked the latest turn in the conflict that the US and Israel launched five months ago.
The fighting has extended from the Gulf to the Red Sea and as far as a Mediterranean facility in Egypt.
Iran has largely shut the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of the world’s oil and LNG passed before the war. The disruption has driven energy prices higher and added to inflationary pressure worldwide.
Eli Cohen, Israel’s energy minister and a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet, said Israel and the US remained in close security and intelligence coordination over developments across the region.
But he warned: “With or without an agreement, and regardless of any external commitments, if Iran attempts to renew its nuclear programme or advance its ballistic missile industries, we will be there. We will take action, and we will strike.”
Mr Trump and Mr Netanyahu met in Washington on Tuesday. An Israeli official said the discussions covered every possible route to restricting Iran’s nuclear programme, including diplomacy, economic pressure and military force. Tehran denies that it is pursuing a nuclear weapon.
Iran’s acting defence minister, Brigadier General Majid Ebn Al-Reza, said Tehran regarded recent US threats as “psychological and cognitive warfare” but was taking them seriously. Iran, he added, would strengthen its preparedness and deterrence rather than be caught unprepared or stand by passively, Press TV reported.
During his call with Mr Trump, the Saudi crown prince highlighted the “necessity of prioritising dialogue to de-escalate tensions” in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia’s state news agency said.
A White House official confirmed to Reuters that the conversation had taken place but offered no further details.
The risk of Iranian attacks has deterred most shipping through the Strait of Hormuz
Oil price surged last month
Speaking at a cabinet meeting on Friday, Mr Trump said he believed US negotiators — including his son-in-law Jared Kushner, special envoy Steve Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio — were capable of securing an agreement with Iran.
When an April ceasefire collapsed last month, benchmark Brent crude futures LCOc1 rose 24%. Analysts surveyed by Reuters expect prices to climb further this year.
Mr Trump has maintained that preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons warrants higher fuel costs in the short term. But the economic impact has intensified political pressure on his administration to find a route to ending the conflict.
Energy-sector concerns have also grown after Iran’s Houthi allies in Yemen began threatening the Bab el-Mandeb in recent days. The strait lies at the opposite end of the Red Sea from the Suez Canal and serves as another route for Saudi crude exports.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said it had received reports of two maritime incidents off Oman.
In one incident, an unidentified projectile hit a tanker and damaged its engine room. In the second, a tanker’s master reported seeing a large splash followed by an explosion near the vessel, although no damage was recorded.
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