President Donald Trump agreed to suspend new strikes against Iran on Saturday after Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman warned that U.S. attacks could trigger Iranian retaliation against Gulf energy infrastructure, following Trump's earlier decision to halt airstrikes over Patriot stockpile concerns.
Trump wrote on Truth Social that the U.S. was "loaded and ready" to strike Iran with military force unseen since World War II, but would delay attacks on condition of a rapid deal opening the Strait of Hormuz and ending Iran's nuclear threat. Bin Salman urged dialogue to prevent a wider regional conflict that would undermine international security, the Saudi state press agency reported. The White House confirmed the phone call but gave no details.
Tensions flared across the Gulf as Kuwait said its military destroyed Iranian drones targeting vital installations, with strikes hitting a government facility and civilian property on Bubiyan Island. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations reported two incidents off Oman, including an oil tanker whose engine room was damaged by an unidentified projectile. Iranian military officers dismissed Trump's claim that Tehran sought to halt attacks as a "new lie" to pressure Gulf Arab states.