President Donald Trump announced the US and Israel agreed to halt new attacks on Iran, provided a rapid deal ends the conflict, while Tehran rejected the terms and claimed it faces no meaningful 60-day deadline as regional tensions persist on its 156th day.
President Donald Trump declared on his Truth Social platform early on Sunday in Iran and late on Saturday in the US that he had agreed to cancel planned strikes after receiving requests from Iran and other Middle Eastern countries, stating that the perimeters of a deal has been agreed to.
Trump Links Halting Strikes to Total Opening of the Strait of Hormuz
Trump stated that the United States and Israel were prepared to strike before regional intermediaries intervened. Trump earlier said in his post that the US was locked and loaded and ready to go against the Islamic Republic of Iran but Tehran and other Middle Eastern countries asked him to hold off on new attacks.
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
President Donald Trump, via Truth Social
Trump specified that the proposed arrangement would include the Immediate, Complete, and Total OPENING OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT, and an end to Iran’s nuclear threat. He wrote in the post that The Country of Israel joins me in this commitment. Get to work, everybody, and get it DONE. Trump and the White House did not offer any further details on what the deal would entail and who is mediating it.
Meanwhile, the US news website Axios reported that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) spoke with Trump on Saturday and expressed concern over his plans for large new attacks against Iran. MBS reportedly urged Trump to de-escalate and refrain from launching the attacks. Another issue plaguing Washington is the depleting stocks of munitions, and more importantly, the Patriot anti-missile interceptors.
Tehran Dismisses Claims of Capitulation and Ultimatums
Iranian leadership forcefully rejected the premise that Tehran requested a pause in military operations. Citing military officials, the agency said the allegation was nothing but a new lie and that the Iranian armed forces were on high alert and ready for any eventuality.
Speaking to reporters and during a phone interview with Fox News, as a 60-day negotiation period linked to the June agreement expired, Trump called on Iran to abandon the fight entirely. They should put up the white flag of surrender, he said. The interim agreement, signed on June 17, had initially called for an immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts and created a 60-day framework for talks over Iran’s nuclear programme, sanctions relief and broader security arrangements. But the fragile arrangement quickly deteriorated, disputes over maritime access and navigation rights in the strategic Strait of Hormuz intensified tensions, and Trump declared on July 7 that the agreement was effectively over. Trump insisted on Monday that domestic political considerations were not influencing his approach, dismissing suggestions that his stance was linked to the upcoming November congressional elections, stating, Midterms have nothing to do with my thinking.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei countered that There is no item regarding a 60-day deadline in the text of the memorandum, and the Islamic Republic of Iran never formulates its policies under pressure, ultimatums, or time constraints. Baghaei argued that the agreement had only created a window to explore discussions on sanctions and nuclear issues, with the possibility of extending talks, adding that diplomatic efforts by Pakistan, Qatar and several European countries had continued, but the main obstacle remained Washington’s mindset, miscalculations and insistence on failed policies.
Regional Threats, Energy Infrastructure, and Interceptor Deficits
The region has been on edge, fearing that the fighting could escalate once again after Washington and Tehran traded threats of renewed heavy attacks, including against energy infrastructure. Meanwhile, the Strait of Hormuz, the waterway critical to global energy supplies, remains shut, and shipping is disrupted as well in the Red Sea by the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, who also claimed a strike on a Saudi military vessel in the Red Sea.
Washington faced internal scrutiny over defense stockpiles amid the prolonged confrontation. The Center for Strategic and International Studies estimates that US Patriot interceptor inventories have fallen from about 2,300 before the war with Iran to fewer than 827.
Diplomatic Friction and Maritime Disputes Intensify
Diplomatic frictions extended to separate threats involving regional nations, with reports noting Trump threatened to bomb Oman over Hormuz and saying Tehran is unlikely to accept the deal Washington wants while demanding its surrender. Pakistan, Qatar and Europe continue diplomatic efforts as the United Nations calls for return to talks and restraint while the regional conflict spreads, and Iran rejects a 60-day deadline, saying it will not bow to ultimatums and warning of a precise military response to break the US naval blockade.
