Trump Cancels Iran Strike, Says Hormuz Deal Within Reach

Trump halts a planned U.S.-Israel assault on Iran at the request of Saudi Arabia and other allies, betting a deal reopens the Strait of Hormuz and ends Tehran's nuclear threat.

First Published: August 3, 2026, 11:06 AM ETUpdates (1): August 3, 2026, 11:06 AM ET

WASHINGTON D.C. — Donald J. Trump called off a planned military strike on Iran, saying allied nations asked him to hold fire while diplomats race to close a deal on the Strait of Hormuz.

The reversal spares Iran’s energy infrastructure from a joint U.S.-Israel assault the State Department had signaled by warning Americans to leave the Middle East over the weekend. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Iran all requested the pause, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One according to jta.org.

“It would have been a massive attack. We were all set to go, but when the allies asked to call it off, you got to, sort of say, “well, let’s see,”” Trump said according to jta.org.

The Strait of Hormuz carries a fifth of the world’s petroleum, which makes any threat to close it a direct risk to global fuel prices and the wallets of American drivers. A deal that reopens the waterway and curbs Iran’s nuclear program would remove one of the largest triggers for oil-market shocks since fighting resumed in July.

Here is the full post on truthsocial: “The U.S.A. 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. Despite this, we have just been asked by Iran, and other Middle Eastern Countries, to hold off any attack in that the perimeters of a deal has been agreed to. This would include the Immediate, Complete, and Total OPENING OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT, and an end to Iran’s nuclear threat. 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. The Country of Israel joins me in this commitment. Get to work, everybody, and get it DONE. Thank you for your attention to this matter! Trump” on August 1, 2026 at 10:05 PM ET.

This is Trump’s 30th message released today, and the last post was 6 hours ago, and it is not part of a thread. On average, Trump produces 18 posts per day since his inauguration on January 20, 2025. The move fits a broader pattern in Trump’s recent messaging, with 60 of his 442 posts over the last 30 days classified as Foreign Policy posts.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who holds close business and personal ties with Trump and his family, appealed directly to the president to stand down. The Saudi crown prince stressed the need to prioritize dialogue and prevent a wider conflict according to forward.com. Saudi Arabia believed a Hormuz deal was imminent, followed by one on Iran’s denuclearization, though Trump set no concrete deadline for either according to jta.org.

Tehran disputed the account. Esmaeil Baghaei, the Iranian foreign ministry spokesman, said Iran was discussing making passage through the strait more secure but was not sending envoys to any talks according to jta.org. “We do not currently have negotiations with America,” Baghaei said according to jta.org.

The stand-down carries clear winners and losers. Oil importers, shippers and consumers benefit from a calmer waterway, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who faces a tough reelection in October, absorbs the political cost of appearing sidelined. Israel found itself caught off guard both by the planned escalation and by the reversal, undercutting Netanyahu’s claim last week that he and Trump stood in lockstep on Iran according to forward.com.

This has happened before. Trump has repeatedly threatened to escalate the conflict since its launch, only to retreat at the last minute, a pattern Iran’s Fars News Agency mocked as “familiar and repetitive” according to jta.org. The United States and Israel launched the war in February, and fighting resumed on July 13 after a Memorandum of Understanding with Iran signed in mid-June.

The next move rests with negotiators. Trump said talks between Washington and Tehran were set to begin Monday, though Iran publicly denied any negotiations were forthcoming according to jta.org. No firm date for a signed Hormuz or nuclear agreement has been announced.

The Strait of Hormuz has drawn great powers into confrontation for generations, and Trump isn’t the first leader to blink at its edge. In 1988, the U.S. Navy fought Operation Praying Mantis against Iranian forces after the frigate USS Samuel B. Roberts struck a mine, sinking or crippling several Iranian vessels in a single day. Washington and Tehran stepped back from wider war that year, and the waterway kept flowing oil to the world, leaving the underlying dispute over control of the strait unresolved for decades to come.