President Donald Trump said late Saturday he postponed a planned attack on Iran after reaching the foundations of an agreement, following his decision a day earlier to halt airstrikes over concerns about Patriot interceptor stocks.
Trump outlined terms that would include the immediate and complete reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and an end to Iran's nuclear threat. He simultaneously warned that the United States is "armed, loaded and ready" to strike the Islamic Republic, threatening attacks on energy infrastructure if diplomacy fails. Iran recently re-imposed its blockade of the strait, through which roughly 20 percent of global oil trade passes.
The announcement comes amid widening regional violence. U.S. soldiers were killed in Iranian attacks on Jordan and Iraq, and Saudi Arabia entered the conflict with a joint U.S. strike against Iranian-backed militias in Iraq. U.S. embassies across the Middle East have urged American citizens to consider leaving the region. Washington and Tehran had previously signed a framework understanding on June 17 aimed at ending the war that began on Feb. 28.