Washington: President Donald Trump said on Saturday that the United States and Israel had agreed to refrain from launching any new strikes on Iran for the time being, if a deal to end the months-long conflict can be reached quickly, AFP reported.
Concerns had been rising that the fighting could flare up again after Trump warned he could hit Iran “very hard,” while reports suggested he was weighing fresh heavy attacks, including on energy infrastructure.
CBS News reported that the United States and Israel were preparing joint strikes, potentially over the weekend, with oil refineries and power plants among the targets under consideration.
“The USA is 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 said late on Saturday in a post on his Truth Social platform.
But the Republican billionaire said he was delaying any action for the time being.
“Despite this, we have just been asked by Iran, and other Middle Eastern Countries, to hold off any attack,” he said.
“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,” he said.
The US president said any agreement would need to include the “Immediate, Complete and Total OPENING OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT, and an end to Iran’s nuclear threat.”
“The Country of Israel joins me in this commitment. Get to work, everybody, and get it DONE.”
More than five months after the war began on February 28, when the United States and Israel struck Iran, the conflict still has no clear end in sight, with recent weeks seeing a fresh round of tit-for-tat attacks.
On Saturday, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman spoke with Trump and expressed concern about the planned strikes, Axios reported, citing unnamed US officials.
One source familiar with the call told Axios that the Saudi crown prince had “urged Trump to de-escalate and refrain from launching the strikes.”
The White House offered no immediate comment on the report.
